Otherwise?: Recent Episodes
Brenda Wambui
Otherwise is a weekly show that explores Kenyan current affairs issues as chosen by you. Visit our site at www.otherwisepodcast.com
Hello friends! This episode is a dedication to you, who has walked this journey with me and my team for the last three years of creating Otherwise?! I am off to graduate school (The London School of Economics and Political Science) for a Masters in Public Policy and Administration, and I wanted to do one last episode before I left! :)
This episode answers the questions many of you have asked me since the inception of Otherwise?. Thank you so much for coming on this journey with me. We will be taking a break while I pursue my graduate studies, but we will be back when I'm done; bigger, better, and bolder. Kwaheri ya kuonana!
The Constitution in Article 43, sub-article 1 (a) states that “Every person has the right to the highest attainable standard of health, which includes the right to healthcare services, including reproductive healthcare”. Article 43 sub-article 2 also states that a person shall not be denied emergency medical treatment. The Jubilee government, as part of its Big Four Agenda, plans to roll out universal health coverage to all Kenyans by 2022, guaranteeing quality and affordable healthcare to all Kenyans. In the 2018/2019 budget, universal health coverage received a provision KES 2.5 billion.
The government plans to reconfigure the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) and reform the governance of private insurance companies. They also plan to have 100% of the poor covered by government, 9 million people covered by KES 32 billion formal member contributions, 12 million people covered by KES 28 billion informal member contributions, and a 50% decrease in out of pocket medical expenses.
We're joined by Dr. Amakove Wala, Programme Director - Health Systems Strengthening at Amref in Kenya, to talk about how we can achieve universal health coverage in Kenya.
Resources
Constitution of Kenya - Article 43: Economic and social rights
2018 Budget Policy Statement
Big Four Agenda at core of Kenya spending, to spur economic growth
Refocusing on quality of care and increasing demand for services; Essential elements in attaining universal health coverage in Kenya
Towards Universal Health Coverage in Kenya: Are We On The Right Path?
Kenya National Hospital Insurance Fund Reforms: Implications and Lessons for Universal Health Coverage
County Governments At The Centre of Achieving Universal Health Care
Universal Health Care As Inspired By The Kenya Vision 2030
President Uhuru launches Universal Health Coverage Pilot Program Nairobi, (KENYA) December 13, 2018
How Kenya can attain universal health care
Universal Health Coverage: What you need to know
The Path to Universal Health Coverage in Kenya : Repositioning the Role of the National Hospital Insurance Fund
Domestic Resource Mobilization for Health: National Health Financing Dialogue for Implementation of the Health Sector Domestic Financing Sustainability Plan [UHC Delivery for Kenya – Issue Paper]
Universal Health Coverage Advocacy Guide
Linda Mama, Boresha Jamii: Implementation Manual for Programme Managers
Only 20% Kenyans have medical cover
Start of a new era of health care in Makueni
County Universal Social Protection Coverage for All: A Case Study of Makueni County, Kenya
What makes Makaueni's Sh 500-a year universal Health Care Programme tick
How to achieve universal health coverage? Focus on primary care
Episode 21: #LipaKamaTender
Episode 70: Financing the Kenyan Government
Episode 105: Social Protection in Kenya
Episode 110: Non-Communicable Diseases
Image Credit: AFIDEP
Human-wildlife conflict is a growing problem in Kenya today, and it has a huge negative impact on both human and wildlife populations. It happens when there is close interaction between wild animals and human beings, which leads to injury, death, predation and transmission of diseases. In February 2019, Kenya Wildlife Services (KWS) issued a notice to the public that the dry spell being experienced in most parts of the country was displacing wildlife from their traditional habitats in search of pasture and water. This had increased conflict as the wildlife came into contact with the public and human activities. They said that as the dry spell progressed, the risk of human wildlife conflict was expected to increase until the country received the long rains. Areas that have experienced increased incidence of human wildlife conflict were in Narok, Taita Taveta, Laikipia, Kajiado, Meru, Mau, Marsabit, Lamu and the Mt. Kenya region. We can assume that such warnings will become more frequent in coming years.
We’re joined by Susanna Maingi, a research scientist and wildlife ecologist with expertise in human-wildlife conflict, antipoaching and conservation outreach, to discuss the increasing cases of human-wildlife conflict in Kenya. Press play!
Resources
KENYA’S ORIGINAL SIN: Root causes of rising human-wildlife conflicts
Characteristics of Human-Wildlife Conflicts in Kenya: Examples of Tsavo and Maasai Mara Regions
77 people killed in human-wildlife conflicts in 2018: Balala
Alert on Increased Incidence of Human - Wildlife Conflict
Collapse of Wildlife migratory corridors as 100 mapped areas threatened
KWS says SGR affecting wildlife movement in Tsavo
Human-wildlife payment claims hit Sh15bn in last 5 years: PS
Human-Wildlife Conflicts and compensation for losses in Kenya
Why wildlife is critical for human existence
Human–Wildlife Conflict and Coexistence
Illegal Hunting and the Bushmeat Trade in Savanna Africa
KWS unearths illegal bushmeat trade
Report Of The Taskforce On Consumptive Wildlife Utilization in Kenya
The ugly truth about wildlife conservation in Kenya
The 2017 Shooting of Kuki Gallmann and the Politics of Conservation in Northern Kenya
How Conservation Became Colonialism
When WWF's conservation looks like colonialism, it's time for a new approach
A Leaked Report Shows WWF Was Warned Years Ago Of “Frightening” Abuses
Conservation's Biggest Challenge? The Legacy of Colonialism (Op-Ed)
Is Conservation a New Form of Colonialism?
Why are we not seeing many black faces in conservation?
Saving the world's wildlife is not just "a white person thing"
Analyzing collective action
Exploring the Hidden Costs of Human–Wildlife Conflict in Northern Kenya
Public land, historical land injustices and the new Constitution
Invasive alien species in Kenya: status and management
Invasive alien species in Kenya (PDF)
Episode 24: Drought Begins With You
Episode 60: Na Ni Who?
Episode 65: The Oil in Turkana
Episode 66: The Politics of Food in Nairobi
Episode 78: Public Finance and the Right to Food [Part 1]
Episode 79: Public Finance and the Right to Food [Part 2]
Episode 93: Global Warming at The Equator
Image Credit: World Wildlife
The Constitution of Kenya (2010) in Article 46 gives consumers the right - to goods and services of reasonable quality; to the information necessary for them to gain full benefit from goods and services; to the protection of their health, safety, and economic interests; and to compensation for loss or injury arising from defects in goods or services. It states that parliament shall enact legislation to provide for consumer protection and for fair, honest and decent advertising (which is the Consumer Protection Act, 2012). It applies to goods and services offered by public entities or private persons.
We’re joined by Nzilani Mweu, founder of Rilani Advocates, to talk about consumer protection in Kenya. Press play!
Resources
Constitution of Kenya (2010) - Article 46
The Consumer Protection Act (2012)
The Competition Act (2010)
The Competition Authority of Kenya
Kenya Information and Communications (Consumer Protection) Regulations, 2010.
Consumer protection diagnostic study – Kenya
Consumer Protection Law in Kenya
Protecting Consumers Means Thinking Like Consumers
Insurance Regulatory Authority - Consumer Protection
Central Bank of Kenya: Guidelines on Consumer Protection
It’s Time to Change the Equation on Consumer Protection
Financial consumer protection in Kenya: Key research findings and policy recommendations
Intersections between Intellectual Property, Consumer Protection and Competition Law in Kenya
Printing Out The Privacy Policies Of Facebook, Snap, And Others
State not committed to protecting consumer rights
Competition enforcement and consumer protection in a digital economy
Image Credit: FSD Kenya
In a survey carried out by Women’s Empowerment Link (WEL) in 2015, in the wake of the #MyDressMyChoice protest in 2014, it was found that 54% of women had experienced gender based violence (physical, sexual or psychological harm) while using public transport. The women shared that they been harassed, with the abuse ranging from derogatory comments to rape. Many witnessed female passengers being stripped naked, but the female survivors neither received any help nor reported the violation, and they reported a culture of silence held up by both male and female passengers. We also have a Geopoll survey from 2016 that highlighted that at least 46% of women in Kenya have been harassed by matatu crews.
We’re joined by Mary Mwangi, Programs Manager at Flone Initiative, to discuss the relationship between women and public transport.
Resources
Eastern Africa Women in Transportation Conference Report
Gender Sensitive Mini-Bus Services & Transport Infrastructure for African Cities: A Practical Toolkit
How to Ease Women’s Fear of Transportation Environments: Case Studies and Best Practices
Gender and Urban Transport
Gender in Public Transportation: A Perspective of Women Users of Public Transportation
Approaches for Gender Responsive Urban Mobility
Women in the Transport Sector
Women and Urban Transport: Draft Policy [India]
Safety In Kenya’s Public Transport Vehicles (Matatu)
I Just Wanted To Go Home
Women and transportation in East Africa
Women are changing the narrative in East Africa’s public transport sector
Violence against Women and Girls in Public Road Transport and Connected Spaces in Nairobi County, Kenya
Report on Mobility of Care Assessment of Nairobi’s Public Minibus Transport Services
Report on Gender Equity Assessment of Nairobi’s Public Minibus Transport Services
Why your Public Transportation Sucks - Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj
2019 Women and Transport Africa Conference
Tumi’s 5 Principles to Empower Women in Transport
Episode 77: The Problem With Our Roads
Image Credit: East Africa Women In Transport Conference
The conversation on cancer and other non-communicable diseases has taken centre stage after the death of high profile Kenyans in recent weeks – Safaricom CEO Bob Collymore, Bomet Governor Joyce Laboso, and Kibra MP Ken Okoth. According to the Ministry of Health, Kenya in undergoing an epidemiological transition marked by a decline in morbidity and mortality due to communicable conditions, and an increase in the burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), which include diseases such as diabetes, cancers, cardiovascular diseases and chronic respiratory infections.
We’re joined by Dr. Laura Muambayi, a medical doctor with experience treating NCDs, as well as a primary healthcare giver, to discuss non-communicable diseases and their health implications in Kenya.
Resources
Kenya National Strategy for the Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases (2015 - 2020)
Lifestyle Diseases - An Increasing Cause Of Health Loss (Policy Brief)
Kenya Case Study: NCD Situation
Analysis of Non-Communicable Disease Prevention Policies in Kenya
Noncommunicable diseases: Fact Sheet (WHO)
Noncommunicable diseases country profiles 2018
Kenya: Cancer Profile
National Cancer Screening Guidelines
National Guidelines for Cancer Management
Why many Kenyans are dying of cancer
Woman with breast cancer commits suicide in Naivasha
In East Africa, a cancer diagnosis means a death sentence
Pancreatic tumour fastest-growing cause of Kenya’s cancer deaths
IDF Diabetes Atlas - 8th Edition
Taking Diabetes to Heart - Report
Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease - executive summary
Cost-effective solutions for the prevention of type 2 diabetes
Kenya National Diabetes Strategy (2010 - 2015)
Kenya faces rising burden of diabetes
Cases of diabetes have doubled in Kenya, warn experts
The Sugar Wars
How the Sugar Industry Shifted Blame to Fat
How Big Business Got Brazil Hooked on Junk Food
Kenya National Guidelines for Cardiovascular Diseases Management
The emerging problem of coronary heart disease in Kenya
Ignorance fueling spread of heart diseases in Kenya
The danger that rheumatic heart disease poses in Kenya
Kenyans at risk of heart disease due to unhealthy lifestyles
Addressing NCDs to Fast-Track Achievement of Universal Health Coverage
Episode 10: Dereva, Chunga Maisha!
Episode 82: Debunking Mental Health Myths
Episode 89: The Air We Breathe
Image Credit: Roche
This week, we’re joined by Tayiana Chao, a digital heritage specialist and digital humanities scholar, of African Digital Heritage, the Museum of British Colonialism, Save the Railway and Skills 4 Culture to discuss the importance of having a digital cultural heritage for the African continent. What is the current situation in Kenya when it comes to cultural heritage? Why is it important to have conversations about cultural heritage in Kenya, especially at this moment? How do we ensure that the collection, curation, conservation, exhibition and marketing of our cultural heritage centres Kenyans?
What role does technology have to play in our archiving, exploring and understanding our cultural heritage? What gaps currently exist in terms of the skills required in this sector? What gaps exist in the collection, curation, conservation, exhibition and marketing of our heritage? How can we bridge these gaps? What role will cultural heritage will play in the Kenyan socio-political experience in the coming years? Press play to find out!
Resources
National Museums and Heritage Act (2006)
National Museums of Kenya
Kenya National Archives and Documentation Service
Kenya National Library Service
Museum of British Colonialism
African Digital Heritage
Save The Railway
Mau Mau Detention Camp - Field Work
International Inventories Program
Skills 4 Culture
Book Bunk
Grand history of the lunatic express
End of Lunatic Express
Museums are hiding their imperial pasts – which is why my tours are needed
Museums and Empire: Natural History, Human Cultures and Colonial Identities
Museums have long overlooked the violence of empire
Anthropology and Colonialism
Radio Lab: Mau Mau
Kenya lifts ban on Mau Mau
Operation Legacy’: Britain’s Destruction and Concealment of Colonial Records Worldwide
Revealed: the bonfire of papers at the end of Empire
Britain destroyed records of colonial crimes
Foreign Office hoarding 1m historic files in secret archive
Sins of colonialists lay concealed for decades in secret archive
Mau Mau torture claim Kenyans win right to sue British government
Kenyan torture victims give evidence in high court compensation case
Kenya: UK expresses regret over abuse as Mau Mau promised payout
Kenyan Mau Mau victims in talks with UK government over legal settlement
The Mau Mau may rewrite the history of the British empire
Britain's Gulag : The Brutal End of Empire in Kenya
Joseph Murumbi's Legacy
African Heritage House
The house at the end of history: The little city gem that is the Murumbi Gallery
Ethical Issues In Digitization Of Cultural Heritage
Digitization of Cultural Heritage
Digitisation of Cultural Heritage
Understanding the Impact of Digitisation on Culture
Image Credit: Magical Kenya
This week, we're throwing it back to the old school format, where I take topic suggestions from the pod's community and address them in around 15 minutes. The first question is on foreign investors in Kenya. Should we set stricter criteria to attract quality investors and protect our SMEs? The second question asks what we as citizens can do to fight the Huduma Bill, and the final one asks about Mike Sonko’s behaviour at Ken Okoth’s funeral, and his blatant admission of guilt when he said that he nominated the late MP’s alleged second wife to the Nairobi County Assembly as an MCA. If this is true, what redress can we seek as Kenyans to stop this nonsense? Press play to find out!
Resources
World Investment Report (2019)
Ease of Doing Business Rankings (2019)
Foreign Investment Survey Report 2018
The Investment Promotion Act (2004)
2016 Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Survey Basic Report
Cheap imports, high costs: Why many businesses are closing shop
StanChart branch closure signals banking job losses
Deacons blames tough business environment for Sh180 mn loss
The Huduma Bill (2019)
No healthcare, voting without Huduma Namba, Bill proposes
Parliamentary dictatorship a frontal assault on democracy
Episode 49: Women and Youth in Kenyan Politics
Episode 62: Tax Justice in Kenya
Episode 68: Women and the 2017 Elections
Episode 80: The Two-Thirds Gender Principle
Episode 85: Persons of Interest
Episode 90: On Femicide and Women at the Frontline
Episode 99: Manufacturing Prosperity
Episode 100: The Journey to Constitutional Reform
Image Credit: Techweez
On July 14th 2019, NTV aired a feature titled Red Alert, which revealed that Kenyan supermarkets and retail outlets were using sodium metabisulfite to increase the shelf life of meat products by making them look fresher for longer, so as to prevent losses. They were also found to repackage these products and change the dates so as to dupe their customers into buying these products past their sell-by date. The conversation that arose after was intense, pointing out that supermarkets were using excess quantities of the compound, without disclosing it to consumers, which was exacerbated by changing the dates on products to deceive customers.
This is not the first time we have had widespread panic and anxiety over food in Kenya. We have had reports of sukuma wiki and spinach being grown next to sewers and being toxic and containing heavy metals, water containing microplastics, chicken being fattened using antibiotics, formalin being used to preserve meat, maize with aflatoxin, sugar containing mercury, and fruits being ripened using calcium carbide. This is in addition to pesticide use in farm products that elicits the same concerns. We’re joined by Wanjiru Kamau, an agricultural and environmental policy expert, to discuss food safety in general in Kenya.
Resources
The Kenya Food Control System
The Kenya Food and Drugs Authority Bill (2019)
Kenya National Strategy for the Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases (2015 - 2020)
Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS)
Pest Control Products Board (PCPB)
Dietary risk factors for non-communicable diseases in Kenya: findings of the STEPS survey, 2015
Food safety and quality management in Kenya: An overview of the roles played by various stakeholders
Food Safety in Kenya: Focus on fruits and vegetables
SBS Senior Lecturer Publishes Case Study on Food Safety Concerns in Kenya
Why food safety is a major national issue
Lifestyle Diseases: An Increasing Cause Of Health Loss
Heavy Metal Concentration in Vegetables Grown around Dumpsites in Nairobi City County, Kenya
Coca-Cola admits presence of plastic in Dasani
Antibiotics in meat: why Kenya needs to do more
Keep birds free from antibiotics, use supplements
Kenya's 'contaminated sugar' row: What we know
Report reveals seized sugar contains Mercury
Tests show dangerous levels of toxins in foods sold in Nairobi
Could your fruit vendor be selling you poison?
Experts poke holes in proposed food and drugs law
How safe is your food? Be careful what you eat
Conversation on food safety is long overdue
Study warns of highly contaminated fruits,vegetables in open markets and supermarkets
How safe is your sukuma wiki?
The local food revolution in Brazil's schools
Learning from Brazil’s Food and Nutrition Security Policies
The road to restoration: Cuba’s modern farming revolution
Cuba's organic revolution
How does organic agriculture contribute to food security of small land holders?: A case study in the North of Thailand
Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons
On 27th June 2019, Kenya beat Tanzania 3-2 in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), moving us to third place in Group C, right behind Algeria and Senegal. This renewed the conversation around sports reform in Kenya. This is the first time Kenya has qualified for AFCON since 2004. We're joined by Ng'arua Kamuya, a lawyer, advocate of the High Court of Kenya and sports pundit, for a fun chat on what we can do to reform sports in Kenya. Press play!
Resources
Dennis Ombachi's Thread
Image Credit: The Guardian
According to Kenya's Social Protection Policy, poverty, disease, and ignorance were identified at the time of independence in 1963 as the critical challenges facing the new nation of Kenya. While some degree of success has been achieved in the area of education, progress in reducing poverty and providing healthcare has barely been made. 56 years after independence, “poverty and vulnerability remain major challenges, with almost one in every two Kenyans trapped in a long-term, chronic and inter-generational cycle of poverty."
Our Constitution in Article 43 guarantees all Kenyans their economic, social, and cultural rights. It asserts the "right for every person...to social security and binds the state to provide appropriate social security to persons who are unable to support themselves and their dependents." This right is closely linked to other social protection rights, including the right to healthcare, human dignity, reasonable working conditions, and access to justice. Article 21 establishes the progressive realization of social and economic rights and obligates the state to "observe, respect, protect, promote, and fulfill the rights and fundamental freedoms in the Bill of Rights.”
We’re joined by Pauline Vata, Executive Director of Hakijamii Trust, to discuss social protection in Kenya.
Resources
Kenya National Social Protection Policy (2012)
Article 43, Constitution of Kenya (2010)
National Social Security Fund Act (2013)
National Hospital Insurance Fund Act (2013)
Social Assistance Act (2013)
Analytical Review of the Pension System in Kenya
Social security reforms in Kenya: Towards a workerist or a citizenship-based system?
Policy Brief on National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF)
NHIF Strategic Plan 2014 - 2018: Sustainable Financing Towards Universal Health Coverage in Kenya
HEALTHY AMBITIONS? KENYA’S NATIONAL HOSPITAL INSURANCE FUND (NHIF) MUST BECOME MORE TRANSPARENT IF IT IS TO ANCHOR UNIVERSAL HEALTH COVERAGE
Extending Social Security and Fighting Poverty: Two reform proposals to extend social security in Kenya
The Right to Social Security in Kenya: The gap between international human rights and domestic law and policy
PARTICIPATION OF VULNERABLE POPULATIONS IN THEIR OWN PROGRAMMES: THE CASH TRANSFERS IN KENYA
Political Economy of Cash Transfers In Kenya
Kenya’s Social Cash Transfer Program
From Evidence to Action: The Story of Cash Transfers and Impact Evaluation in Sub-Saharan Africa
The Short-term Impact of Unconditional Cash Transfers to the Poor: Experimental Evidence from Kenya
The Long-Term Impact of Unconditional Cash Transfers: Experimental Evidence from Kenya.
Income Changes and Intimate Partner Violence: Evidence from Unconditional Cash Transfers in Kenya
Scaling up Cash Transfer Programmes in Kenya
The Evolution of the Government of Kenya Cash Transfer Programme for Vulnerable Children between 2002 to 2006 and prospects for nationwide scale-up
Episode 44: The State of Kenya's Healthcare
Episode 21: #LipaKamaTender
Image Credit: Business Insider
In June 2019, the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) announced that it would be phasing out the current generation KES 1,000 note by 1st October 2019. On that date, it will cease to be legal tender. This is in an effort to curb illicit financial transactions, including money laundering; address the problem of counterfeit notes; and fight corruption. They also announced new generation notes alongside the new KES 1,000 note (KES 50, 100, 200 and 500), but these do not have a deadline for exchange.
According to the CBK, we currently have in circulation 217.6 million pieces of KES 1,000, 30.8 million pieces of KES 500, 54.8 million pieces of KES 200, 126.4 million pieces of KES 100, 100.5 million pieces of KES 50 and 9.9 million pieces of KES 20. We’re joined by Ken Gichinga, the Chief Economist at Mentoria Economics, to discuss the demonetization process as it is planned in Kenya.
Resources
Kenya is introducing new banknotes in a bid to fight corruption
For demonetization to be successful, adequate remonetization necessary
Behind Central Bank move to change notes
Ensure roll-out of new currency does not hurt weak economy
There is more than meets the eye in demonetisation
Tedious journey to new currency that kicked off in 2010
Demonetization Of Currency Notes: Significance And Challenges
Demonetisation: The end of Zimbabwean dollar
What can you buy for $100 trillion in Zimbabwe? Not even a candy bar
Here's The Full Text Of Modi's Speech On The Discontinuation Of ₹500 And ₹1,000 Bank Notes
Demonetisation: What India gained, and lost
Two years of demonetisation: What did the fight against black money achieve?
Demonetization Anniversary: Decoding the Effects of Indian Currency Notes Ban
India election 2019: Did the ban on high-value banknotes work?
Despite hype, demonetization missed all goals
Few Hits and Many Misses From India's Cash Ban After 2 Years
Payments are a-changin’ but cash still rules
Image Credit: Nairobi Wire
In our second live recording, we're joined by Njeri Gateru, Lorna Dias and Pastor David Ochar to discuss LGBTQI+ organizing in Kenya in light of the High Court ruling on the decriminalization of same sex conduct.
On May 24th 2019, the High Court ruled against two petitions filed against the Attorney General of Kenya in his capacity as the government’s legal advisor: Petition 150 of 2016, and Petition 234 of 2016, which had been consolidated by the court due to their similarity. The petitions sought to repeal Sections 162 (a) and (c) and 165 of the Penal Code because they are unconstitutional on grounds of vagueness and uncertainty. The petitioners also stated that the sections violated Articles 27, 28, 29, 31, 32 and 43 of the Constitution of Kenya.
What is the environment/background in terms of organizing that brought us to this point? Why this, and why now? Why is it that the greatest strides the community has made towards equal rights and freedoms have been in the courts? Given the court ruling, and the fact that the judicial process in Kenya tends to take many years, how can we augment judicial action with organizing within the society/various communities? How is this currently happening? How do we respond to people who claim that same sex conduct or relationships are against religion? How about those who say they are unAfrican? What are the ways in which allies in Kenya, and around the world, can support LGBTQI+ organizing here? And, what will LGBTQI+ organizing in Kenya look like in the future? Press play to find out!
Resources
Petition 150 & 234 of 2016 (Consolidated)
The Constitution of Kenya (2010)
The Penal Code (CAP 63)
Petition 266 of 2013
Petition 440 of 2013
Judicial Review 147 of 2013
Petition 51 of 2015
Civil Appeal 56 of 2016
India's Ruling on the Repeal of Section 377 of their Penal Code
The Wolfenden Report - Summary
The Wolfenden Report - Conclusion
Letter from Birmingham City Jail
Boy-Wives and Female Husbands: Studies of African Homosexualities
Episode 64: Repeal 162
Episode 59: Rafiki
Episode 83: Separation of Church and State
Before Straight and Gay
A Theory of Scandal: Victorians, Homosexuality, and the Fall of Oscar Wilde
Image Credit: Kanga Love TRTL
Kenya’s maternal mortality rate is 362 deaths per 100,000 live births according to the 2014 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics. Article 43(1)(a) of the Constitution of Kenya 2010 states that: Every person has the right to the highest attainable standard of health, which includes the right to health care services, including reproductive health care.
Kenya adopted the Millennium Development Goals, which had set a target of reducing the global maternal mortality ratio to 147 per 100,000 by 2015. We have also adopted the Sustainable Development Goals, whose target is to reduce the global maternal mortality ratio to less than 70 per 100,000 live births between 2016 and 2030.
Today, we're joined by Caroline Wainaina, a research officer working on maternal and child well-being at APHRC, to discuss maternal healthcare in Kenya.
Resources
2014 Kenya Demographic And Health Survey
Women and Men in Kenya Facts and Figures 2017
Reducing Maternal Deaths in Kenya
Tackling High Maternal Deaths in Kenya
The effect of Kenya’s free maternal health care policy on the utilization of health facility delivery services and maternal and neonatal mortality in public health facilities
Ministry of Health implements free maternity services nationwide
Are There Really 1.2 Million Mothers on the Free Maternity Programme?
Which way for mothers after five years of free maternal care
Has Access To Free Maternity Care In Kenya Doubled Since 2013?
Implementing Free Maternal Health Care in Kenya: Challenges, Strategies, and Recommendations
Examining the Implementation of the Free Maternity Services Policy in Kenya: A Mixed Methods Process Evaluation
Implementation of the free maternity services policy and its implications for health system governance in Kenya
Reproductive Health and Family Planning Financing in Kenya: A mapping of the resource flows
Maternal Education and Immunization Status Among Children in Kenya
From Paper to Practice: Sexuality Education Policies and Their Implementation in Kenya
Reality check: Why it’s time to introduce sex education in schools
The #LipaKamaTender Movement
UNFPA Kenya Annual Report 2017
The Reproductive Health Care Bill (2014)
Image Credit: COMO Foundation
We celebrate Labour Day/International Worker’s Day each year on the 1st of May. Celebrations are organized by trade unions and their members, and they take time to highlight the labour environment in the country, and how it can be improved. Trade unions in Kenya are inextricably linked with our struggle for independence.
Makhan Singh is considered the father of the labour movement, having formed the Labour Trade Union of Kenya in 1935, and the East African Trade Union Congress in 1949. To mark this year's occasion belatedly, we’re joined by Dr. Emily Odhong, a lecturer at Kiriri Women's University of Science and Technology, and a labour relations consultant, to discuss the importance of the labour movement in Kenya. Press play!
Resources
The Employment Act (2007)
The Labour Relations Act (2007)
Industrial Relations Charter (1984)
Assessment Of The State Of Trade Unions in Kenya
Trade Unions in Transformation - Developing and Utilizing Power Resources: The Case of Kenya National Private Security Workers’ Union
Re-thinking Industrial Relations for Enhanced Organizational Performance in Kenya
Trade union movement leads the way in Kenya
KNUT joins COTU in drive for stronger labour union
Image credit: Africa Times
The Constitution of Kenya (2010) was promulgated almost nine years ago, on 27th August 2010. This was after it was presented to the Attorney General on 7th April 2010, officially published on 6th May 2010, subjected to a referendum on 4th August 2010, and approved by 68.55% of the people who participated in the referendum.
We’re joined by Atsango Chesoni, former Deputy Chairperson of the Committee of Experts on Constitutional Review, to discuss how this constitution has changed Kenya almost nine years later.
Resources
The Constitution of Kenya (2010) [Web Version]
The Constitution of Kenya (2010) [PDF Version]
The Repealed Constitution [first passed in 1969]
The 1963 Constitution
1962 Lancaster House Conference
About the 2010 Constitution
About the Committee of Experts Process
About the Constitution Drafts
About the 2005 Referendum
Constitutional Transitions and Territorial Cleavages: The Kenyan Case
Kenya: 36 reasons why we needed a new constitution
All you need to know about independent commissions, offices
The Rationale for the Existence of Independent Constitutional Commissions
It is the politics, stupid: (Not) Kenya Style
Prof. Yash Pal Ghai’s Submission to the Building Bridges Initiative Task Force Committee
Ethnicity and the Kenyan System of Governance
Why we cannot change the Constitution without violating it
Episode 80: The Two-Thirds Gender Principle
Episode 70: Financing the Kenyan Government
Episode 68: Women and the 2017 Elections
Episode 60: Nai Ni Who?
Episode 18: Daima Kenya
The Big 4 Agenda, unveiled on 12th December 2017, has identified manufacturing as one of its pillars (alongside universal healthcare, food security and affordable housing), with the goal of increasing its contribution to Kenya’s economy to 15% by 2022. The agenda has identified 8 priority sectors under its manufacturing pillar: agro-processing, textile, leather, construction, materials, oil and mining, iron and steel, and ICT.
In recent years, according to the Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM), Kenya has experienced deindustrialization as evidenced by the reduction in manufacturing’s contribution to our GDP. We are joined by Navalayo Osembo, CEO and co-founder of Enda Sportswear, to discuss this pillar further.
Resources
KAM - Manufacturing in Kenya Under the ‘Big 4 Agenda’ A Sector Deep-dive Report
KAM - Manufacturing Priority Agenda 2019
Manufacturing in Kenya: Features, Challenges and Opportunities
Special Economic Zones Act (2015)
Export Processing Zones Act (1990)
Export Processing Zones Act - Subsidiary Legislation
Want Big Four to work? Bring down cost of doing business
Manufacturing can be the engine for Uhuru’s Big Four pillars need
What manufacturers need to drive Kenya’s Big Four growth agenda
Image Credit: Brookings
At the Paris Peace Forum in November 2018, Uhuru Kenyatta committed to Kenya’s transition to 100% green energy by 2020, noting that green energy made up 70% of Kenya’s installed electric capacity at the time. According to the Ministry of Energy, as at December 2018, Kenya had achieved 75% household access to electricity, through both on-grid and off-grid solutions, and we plan to achieve universal access to electricity by 2022.
We’re joined by Anne Wambugu, an electrical engineer working in the renewable energy sector, to discuss Kenya's current state electricity-wise, what it means for Kenya to go green, and the possibilities that lie ahead. Press play!
NOTE:
- The targeted installed capacity by the year 2030 is 7,213.88 MW, not 26,000 MW.
- Where Anne says people who have low usage of electricity averaging about KES 300 per day, she meant to say KES 300 per month.
Resources
[Updated] Least Cost Power Development Plan
Kenya Off-Grid Solar Access Project [All Downloads]
Kenya Off-Grid Solar Access Project: Vulnerable & Marginalized Groups Framework
Kenya Electricity System Improvement Project: Environmental & Social Management Framework
Kenya Electricity Modernization Project
Global Off-Grid Solar Market Report: Semi-Annual Sales and Impact Data
Renewables 2018: Global Status Report
Development of Kenya’s power sector: 2015-2020
Kenya Power Sh4.8bn diesel order signals long wait for cheap electricity
Eyes on ERC as wind surpasses diesel electricity
Ending 3 thermal power plants to cost Sh 9 billion
Kenya Launches Ambitious Plan to Provide Electricity to All Citizens by 2022
Off-grid solar power comes of age in Kenya
Market for the integration of smaller wind turbines in minigrids in Kenya
Off-grid solutions cure for power deficit in Kenya
Kenya is aiming to be powered entirely by green energy by 2020
Kenya targets green energy sufficiency by 2020, Uhuru says
Image Credit: Vox.com
In January 1991, Mohammed Siad Barre’s government was toppled when rebels from the United Somali Congress toppled the Red Berets, in a culmination of a struggle that began in 1986. Since then, Somalia has been in a state of civil war. It has displaced over 1 million people within the country, and over 1 million more are living abroad in the Somali diaspora, either as registered refugees or undocumented migrants. We’re joined by Fadumo Dayib, a social justice activist, Somali politician and the first woman to vie for president of Somalia (in November 2016) to discuss being Somali in Somalia, as well as the diaspora.
What was the cause of the civil war, and what factors have allowed it to continue for almost 30 years? What has the effect of having international intervention been? What factors make it possible for Al Shabaab to exist within Somalia and East Africa, and recruit from throughout the region? What has this conflict meant for the rights of Somali women and girls? How has it affected their rights, freedoms and access to opportunities? And, what is the way forward when it comes to resolving this conflict? Press play to find out!
Resources
Siad Barre’s Fall Blamed for Somalia’s Collapse into Civil War
Understanding Civil Militia Groups in Somalia
Somalia: a history of events from 1950 to the present - in pictures
Somalia: The Forgotten Story
The 4.5 Formula
Somalia's Clan Politics
The Rotation Convention: the real scandal of Somalia’s 4.5 power sharing system
The Business of Fear in Boomtown Mogadishu
Ethiopian Invasion of Somalia
Ethiopia ends Somalia occupation
WikiLeaks Reveals U.S. Twisted Ethiopia’s Arm to Invade Somalia
Ethiopian troop withdrawal from Somalia exposes peacekeeping problems
Explaining the differences in Al-Shabaab expansion into Ethiopia and Kenya
Al-Shabab [an explainer]
Understanding Drivers of Violent Extremism: The Case of al-Shabab and Somali Youth
Explaining Transborder Terrorist Attacks: The Cases of Boko Haram and Al-Shabaab
History of Al-Shabaab and its link with Kenya
The Unseen War
The Unseen War - Part 2
Somali militants al-Shabab threaten Kenya retaliation
Somalia: Why is Al-Shabaab Still A Potent Threat?
Why is Al Shabab making inroads into Kenya?
Why is Kenya an al-Shabab target?
Somalia's Al Shabaab: Clans vs Islamist nationalism
What Kenya has to show for sending troops into Somalia seven years ago
PROXY WARS: The intrigues leading to Kenya’s invasion of Somalia
What's Wrong With Kenya's Invasion of Somalia
Kenya and Somalia: landscape of tension
The Road to Garissa
Corruption and Terror: Somali Community in Kenya Caught in the Crossfire
Women’s Rights in Somalia: Women’s Role in Conflict Resolution
Human Rights Brief: Women in Somalia
GIRLS AND GIRLHOOD INTERRUPTED: TWO DECADES OF STATELESSNESS AND MILITARIZED VIOLENCE IN WAR-TORN SOMALIA
Somalia: A state of male power, insecurity and inequality
Women Needs in Somalia after Civil War
Image Credit: VQR Online
Mobile lending in Kenya has experienced a boom in recent years. Customers are able to apply for and receive loans through their mobile phones, and this has drastically changed Kenya’s financial landscape. Mobile lending is made possible through mobile money transfer technology, which was introduced in Kenya by Safaricom in 2007 via MPesa. There are three primary ways that it works: The first is bank backed, the second is mobile lending by non-bank finance institutions such as microfinance institutions and SACCOs, and the third is mobile lending by financial technology firms which do it through their mobile apps.
We’re joined by Geraldine Lukania, Project Manager of FSD Kenya's Market Information Project to discuss mobile lending/credit, what makes it so popular, and whether it needs to be regulated. Press play!
Resources
Kenya moves to regulate fintech-fuelled lending craze
M-Shwari leads Mobile lending industry
The Draft Financial Markets Conduct Bill, 2018
The 2019 FinAccess household survey
The 2016 FinAccess household survey
Digital Market Overview: Kenya
The digital credit revolution in Kenya: an assessment of market demand, 5 years on
A Digital Credit Revolution: Insights from Borrowers in Kenya and Tanzania
Kenya’s Digital Credit Revolution Five Years On
How Regulators Can Foster More Responsible Digital Credit
It's Time to Slow Digital Credit's Growth in East Africa
Image Credit: Mambo Zuri
We hear a lot about fake news, but that is a very broad and misleading term. According to the Ethical Journalism Network, "fake news is information deliberately fabricated and published with the intention to deceive and mislead others into believing falsehoods or doubting verifiable facts." This term conflates three types of information disorder: misinformation, disinformation and malinformation.
In the spirit of International Fact Checking Day, celebrated annually on April 2nd, we're joined by Eric Mugendi, Managing Editor of Pesacheck, to discuss fact checking in general, and within the Kenyan context. What exactly is fact checking, and why is it important, especially in this digital age? What establishes something as a “fact” vis a vis an opinion? What exactly is information disorder? And what is the difference between these three types of disorder? What kinds of challenges do misinformation, disinformation and malinformation pose to modern day journalism? What is the role of media organizations when it comes to fact checking? Press play to find out!
Resources
Journalism, 'Fake News' and Disinformation: A Handbook for Journalism Education and Training
Thinking about 'Information Disorder': Formats of Misinformation, Disinformation and Mal-Information
INFORMATION DISORDER: Toward an interdisciplinary framework for research and policy making
Understanding and Addressing the Disinformation Ecosystem
Improving Media’s Ability To Check The Facts: We Need A Media Culture That Double Checks Numbers
How to Fact Check: Tips and Advice
Africa Check: Sorting Fact from Fiction
The Reality of Fake News in Kenya
Information Disorder, Part 1: The Essential Glossary
Information Disorder, Part 2: Mapping the Landscape
Information Disorder, Part 3: Useful Graphics
10 questions to ask before covering mis- and dis-information
Media Manipulation and Disinformation Online
Image credit: VOA News
On Tuesday the 26th of March 2019, the Standard reported that a three judge bench at the Court of Appeal, constituted by Justices Roselyn Nambuye, Daniel Musinga and Patrick Kiage, proposed that the age of consent be lowered to 16 by amending the Sexual Offences Act, citing lengthy jail terms imposed on young men convicted of defilement.
We’re joined by Judy Gitau, the Africa Regional Co-ordinator of Equality Now to discuss consent, the age of consent, its importance, and the potential impact of lowering it.
Resources
Criminal Appeal 102 of 2016 [The Ruling that proposed the lowering of the age of consent]
Court proposes lowering sex consent age to 16 years
Sexual Offences Act (2006)
What is sexual consent?
Why the age of sexual consent continues to be a worldwide challenge
Close in Age Exemptions / Romeo and Juliet Laws
What are the Romeo and Juliet Laws
Episode 81: Abortion and Reproductive Healthcare
Episode 88: Human Trafficking in Kenya
Image Credit: Social Documentary Centre
Much of the conversation about global warming and climate change focuses on the Earth’s poles and the areas outside the tropics. We understand that ice caps and glaciers are melting. However, it is urgent that we understand the effects of global warming in the tropics in general, and at the equator in particular. Normal temperature ranges in the tropics fall within a narrower range than those outside them, so any change will have more significant effects.
We’re joined by Jessica Mukiri, an Environmental Modeler at the International Centre for Tropical Agriculture, to discuss global warming at the equator, with a focus on Kenya. Which human activities make us more vulnerable to climate change? What are its effects in this region? And, how can we mitigate it? Press play to find out!
Resources
Effects of global warming
Special Report: Global Warming of 1.5 ºC
Climate Change: Why the Tropical Poor Will Suffer Most
Why Africa is particularly vulnerable to climate change
Vulnerability to Climate Change in Africa: Challenges and Recommendations for Africa
Africa is particularly vulnerable to the expected impacts of global warming
Global warming: Why Kenya is among countries at crossroads
Climate Risks, Vulnerability and Governance in Kenya: A review
Modeling Kenya's Vulnerability to Climate Change – A Multifactor Approach
Climate change making storms like Idai more severe, say experts
Cyclone Idai reveals the fundamental injustice at the heart of climate change
Analysis of Climate Change and Variability Risks in the Smallholder Sector
Climate Change and Health in Africa: Issues and Options
Climate Change Deadly Health Risk and Global Health Opportunity – Lancet Commission
Climate drivers of vector-borne diseases in Africa and their relevance to control programmes
Climate change and population health in Africa: where are the scientists?
Herders: Why we invade Laikipia ranches
Are Kenya ranch invasions driven by drought or politics?
Rapid Range Shifts of Species Associated with High Levels of Climate Warming
Climate change could force huge migrations for people and animals living near the equator
Global warming, elevational ranges and the vulnerability of tropical biota
Migration and Climate Change
UN compact recognizes climate change as driver of migration for first time
Study finds that global warming exacerbates refugee crises
Seeds of war: Global warming helped trigger Syria's bloody civil war
Climate change and the Syrian civil war revisited
Making the Links: Refugees, Climate Change, and Poverty
Who takes responsibility for the climate refugees?
Climate Justice for a Changing Planet: A Primer for Policy Makers and NGOs
Image Credit: Ventures Africa
According to Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) and National Treasury reports in 2016, it was estimated that a third of Kenya’s national budget was lost through corrupt dealings annually. That would mean that in 2018/19, we can reasonably expect to lose KES 1 trillion, if not more, to corruption. Much of this money ends up in offshore accounts in countries that are tax havens. As at 2007, economists at the American research firm National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) estimated that about 70% of Kenya’s GDP (KES 1.83 trillion in 2007) was stashed abroad, while the think-tank Global Financial Integrity (GFI) estimated in an October 2018 report that Kenya loses about 8% of government revenues annually (above USD 907 million, or KES 78.41 billion, based on the historical exchange rate) to trade misinvoicing by multinationals.
We’re joined by Will Fitzgibbon, an investigative journalist at the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), who has worked on the Panama Papers, Paradise Papers and Swiss Leaks, to talk about where our stolen money goes. Press play!
Resources
The Panama Papers - Exposing the Rogue Offshore Finance Industry
The Panama Papers - Power Players
Paradise Papers - Secrets of the Global Elite
Swiss Leaks - Murky Cash Sheltered By Bank Secrecy
Swiss Leaks - Kenya Country Profile
Offshore Leaks Database: Kenya
What are the 'Paradise Papers' and why should you care?
Paradise papers: a special investigation
HSBC files
Kenya: Potential Revenue Losses Associated with Trade Misinvoicing
Wealthy Kenyans hiding Sh5trn in foreign banks
Concern as wealthy Kenyans stash their riches in tax havens
Leaks reveal Kenyan judge a director of multiple offshore companies
More Kenyans on Panama Papers list
What leaked Paradise Papers mean for Kenya
Inside the havens, where super rich people hide their billions
Third of Kenyan budget lost to corruption: anti-graft chief
Understanding the economic cost of corruption in Kenya
Experts: Theft, waste likely to silence calls for austerity
Episode 54: The Cost of Corruption
Episode 62: Tax Justice in Kenya
Image Credit: ICIJ
As part of its Big Four Agenda, the Jubilee government aims to focus on the provision of affordable housing units to be bought on mortgage by formally employed Kenyans. In the 2018/2019 budget, affordable housing received a provision KES 6.5 billion. By 2022, the government aims to have constructed 500,000 affordable housing units, with four types being available. The housing projects have been divided into five lots, with one lot covered in each financial year. Each lot is then broken down into flagship projects, flagship social housing projects, counties and towns and Nairobi County projects.
We're joined by Njeri Cerere, a Planning, Development and Environmental Consultant, and the co-convenor of Naipolitans, to discuss a roadmap to affordable housing in Kenya. Press play!
Resources
Kenya economic update : housing - unavailable and unaffordable
Kenya 1999 Population and Housing Census: Analytical Report On Housing Conditions and Social Amenities - Volume X
Road To Affordable Housing Agenda, Health For All, Now Clear
State of Housing in Kenya: Will Government Strategy Deliver on Social Housing
How feasible is the Housing component of Kenya’s Big Four Agenda?
The Home Ownership Survey - January 2015
The KPDA Affordable Housing Report, June 2018
The 500, 000 Affordable Housing Program – Project Delivery and Finance Framework, May 2018
Kenya Affordable Housing Programme – Development Framework Guidelines – Release Version, Oct 2018
Housing Policy as an Agenda for Elections 2017
Nairobi 1948 Master Plan “A Plan for a Colonial Capital”
Nairobi Metropolitan Growth Strategy (1973 Plan)
The Project on Integrated Urban Development Master Plan for the City of Nairobi in the Republic of Kenya
Housing levy with lots of grey areas
How the National Housing Development Fund affects you
NDEMO: Africa’s Poverty Contradictions and Dead Capital
Kenya’s mortgage rate 6 times more than rent compared to S.Africa’s 1:1 ratio
Why the proposed 10pc roof on mortgage is still too high for Kenyan buyers
Number of mortgage accounts declines for first time in decade
Trouble brewing in Kenya’s house loans market
Kenyans shun mortgages, prefer building own homes
Some buildings in Nairobi have not been occupied more than a year after completion.
Episode 60: Nai Ni Who?
Episode 62: Tax Justice in Kenya
Episode 70: Financing the Kenyan Government
Episode 72: The Impact of Interest Rate Capping
Episode 77: The Problem With Our Roads
Episode 88: Human Trafficking in Kenya
Image Credit: Baraka Mwau
Caroline Mwatha. Sharon Otieno. Mercy Keino. Fiona Kasuya. Mary Wambui. Beryl Adhiambo. These are some of the women we have lost to Kenya's femicide crisis, wither due to their work, or men in their lives. This week, we’re joined by Rachael Mwikali, the convenor of the Coalition for Grassroots Human Rights Defenders to discuss the work of human rights defenders in Kenya, with a focus on women, as well as Kenya’s femicide crisis.
Resources
#TotalShutdownKE
#SayHerNameKE
Missing Voices Kenya
Hounded to the point of exile, human rights activists now appreciated
KNCHR And Human Rights Defenders Work (HRD’s)
Defend Defenders: Kenya Country Profile
Body of missing Dandora activist Caroline Mwatha found at City Mortuary
Haki Africa demands quick probe on missing activist Caroline Mwatha
Police on the spot over missing Dandora activist
Police link Caroline Mwathe's death to 'botched abortion'
Five horrific cases of domestic violence against women in Kenya in the past three months
Man stabs girlfriend to death, attempts suicide
Rongai woman dies after husband tortures, sets her ablaze
Lucy Njambi's killers forced her to swallow acid
Former city MCA plotted attack on slain wife, court told
Man brutally kills wife, stuffs body parts into a drum
Man accused of beating wife to death in Kahawa Sukari, Nairobi
Migori man kills sister-in-law over his wife's alleged cheating
Prevalence Data on Different Forms of Violence against Women
Episode 5: Why Do We Hate Our Women?
Episode 56: Women's Lives Matter
Episode 61: Stop Killing Us
Episode 68: Women and the 2017 Elections
Episode 73: When Technology Meets Violence
Image Credit: Vice News
In Kenya, according to the 2018 Economic Survey by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), diseases of the respiratory system are the leading cause of morbidity, followed by malaria. They accounted for 34% of all incidences in 2017, compared to malaria’s 18.7%. Kenya experiences 19,112 deaths annually because of air pollution, and of these, 6,672 are children. These are diseases such as pneumonia, tuberculosis and lung cancer, among others.
The 2017 survey estimated that 19.9 million Kenyans suffer from respiratory ailments that are exacerbated by poor air quality. We're joined by Dr. Kanyiva Muindi of the Africa Population Health Research Centre (APHRC) to talk about air quality in Kenya at large, and Nairobi in particular. Press play!
Resources
Economic Survey 2018 - Kenya National Bureau of Statistics
Air Quality Regulations (2014)
Environmental Management and Coordination Act (1999)
(Amended) Environmental Management and Coordination Act (2015)
Air Pollution in Nairobi Slums: Sources, Levels and Lay Perceptions
Invisible and ignored: air pollution inside the homes of Nairobi’s residents
There is no escape: Nairobi's air pollution sparks Africa health warning
EVERY BREATH YOU TAKE: Who is monitoring air quality in Kenya?
Why Nairobi’s air pollution is deadly
Nairobi Air Quality Monitoring Sensor Network Report - April 2017
The Air Pollution in Nairobi, Kenya
Measuring Nairobi’s air quality using locally assembled low-cost sensors
WHO Guidelines for indoor air quality - household fuel combustion (2014)
WHO Guidelines for indoor air quality - selected pollutants (2010)
WHO Air quality guidelines for particulate matter, ozone, nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide - Global update 2005
9 out of 10 people worldwide breathe polluted air, but more countries are taking action
Image Credit: Environmental Justice Atlas
Kenya is flagged as a source, transit, and destination country for persons subjected to forced labour and sex trafficking in East Africa by the Trafficking in Persons Report of 2018. We continue to host illegal recruiters who maintain networks in Uganda and Ethiopia. They recruit Kenyan, Rwandan, Ethiopian and Ugandan workers through fraudulent offers of employment in the Middle East and Asia. This happens despite a directive by the government to register all agencies linking Kenyans to employment opportunities overseas.
This week, we're joined by Sophie Otiende of HAART Kenya (Awareness Against Human Trafficking) to talk about how human trafficking manifests in Kenya, and how to combat it. Press play!
Resources
Trafficking in Persons Report - June 2018
Kenya - Trafficking in Persons Report 2018
Human Trafficking in Kenya - National Crime Research Centre
Assessment Report On The Human Trafficking Situation In The Coastal Region of Kenya
Why human trafficking is still rife in Kenya
Human trafficking probe: CS Echesa on spot over Pakistani girls
Exposed: Serial paedophile who ran an ‘orphanage’
Image Credit: Matilde Simas
Kenya is set to begin open field trials of GMO cotton in March 2019, following the approval for national performance trials by the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) in 2018. [In June 2018, it was reported that Kenya would start growing GMO cotton on a commercial basis in 2019.]
This would make us the first in East Africa to grow GMOs in open fields, and fourth in Africa after South Africa, Burkina Faso and Sudan. BT cotton is among six crops that have been under confined field trials. The others are drought-tolerant maize, biofortified sorghum, viral resistant cassava, nutritionally enhanced cassava and gypsophila paniculata cut flowers. We’re joined by Anne Maina, co-ordinator of the Kenya Biodiversity Coalition, to discuss GMOs and food safety.
Resources
Kenya gears up for GMO cotton from next year
Biotech maize field trials fail to get crop agency green light
US seeks to push Kenya, other African countries to adopt GM crops
Genetically modified Bt cotton not worth the hype
Kenya soon to lift ban on production of genetically modified cotton, maize
The future of cotton is not in genetically modified version
Kenya rules out open trials on genetically modified crops
Scientists say growing genetically-modified crop will revive local textile sector
Why lifting GMO ban remains contentious despite attempts to introduce it in Kenya
Feeding 9 Billion
The biggest hurdle genetically engineered food faces isn’t science—it’s us
Genetically Modified Foods: Breeding Uncertainty
The Monsanto GMO Story: Adding a Fish Gene Into Tomatoes
The GE Process
Republished study: long-term toxicity of a Roundup herbicide and a Roundup-tolerant genetically modified maize
Cytotoxicity on human cells of Cry1Ab and Cry1Ac Bt insecticidal toxins alone or with a glyphosate-based herbicide
Genetically modified crops safety assessments: present limits and possible improvements
Resource Guide to Organic Insect and Disease Management
Kenya Apparel and Textile Industry: Diagnosis, Strategy and Action Plan
How Monsanto’s GM cotton sowed trouble in Africa
Burkina Faso calls time on Monsanto's GM cotton, demands $280m damages
The Environmental Costs of Fast Fashion
Fast fashion: Inside the fight to end the silence on waste
Fast Fashion Is Killing People (Seriously!)
Monsanto ordered to pay $289m as jury rules weedkiller caused man's cancer
'The world is against them': new era of cancer lawsuits threaten Monsanto
The man who beat Monsanto: 'They have to pay for not being honest'
Roundup weed killer lawsuit hits a snag, but Monsanto is not off the hook
Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
How to practice Integrated Pest Management?
Biodiversity and Its Importance
Episode 66: The Politics of Food in Nairobi
Episode 78: Public Finance and the Right to Food [Part 1]
Episode 79: Public Finance and the Right to Food [Part 2]
Image Credit: Cornell Alliance for Science
After 32 years of the 8-4-4 curriculum, the new 2-6-3-3-3 curriculum rolled out early in January 2019. Its goal is to provide quality education and training policies for all. It aims to improve access, quality, relevance and equity in line with international, regional and national policies, as well as legal commitments, and move us closer towards our education for all goals. It also aims to ensure that all learners acquire competencies and qualifications capable of promoting national values, inspiring individual innovation and life-long learning; and that learners are not unnecessarily delayed at any level of education.
The curriculum hopes to fix the gaps left by 8-4-4 according to the team, and put more emphasis on practical and vocational education, nurturing of talents, inclusion of critical life skills and de-emphasize the focus on the cognitive domain. We're joined by Angela Kabari, co-founder of the life skills program School Series, to discuss the curriculum and its implementation. Press play!
Resources
Curriculum Reform Policy
Basic Education Curriculum Framework
Curriculum Designs
SNE Competency Based Curriculum Support Materials
Basic Education Statistical Booklet
Curriculum Development Cycle
Addendum to the Orange Book on Competency Based Curriculum
Episode 45: Reforming Kenya's Education System
Episode 74: Exam Cheating
Image Credit: Aga Khan Development Network
On 20th January 2019, we found out that while we were busy enjoying our holidays, Uhuru Kenyatta was busy passing new laws, and changes to old ones through a Miscellaneous Amendment Act. One of the most controversial amendments was the one to the Registration of Persons Act, which added new requirements for both location data (such as GPS coordinates) and biometric data (such as DNA). This comes up after the attack on 14 Riverside, and it is said that it’s for crime fighting purposes, especially now that terrorism is a key concern.
We’re joined by Mercy Mutemi, an advocate of the high court who specializes in Internet law and policy advisory, to discuss the legal, human rights and ethical implications of this amendment. Press play!
Resources
Uhuru backs law change to start listing of Kenyans’ DNA
Gov’t to collect your DNA, more personal info in new registration system
Uhuru assents to seven Bills including one to revamp NYS
Uhuru signs law to reform scandal-ridden youth service
The Registration of Persons Act (before amendment)
The Statute Law (Miscellaneous Amendments) Act, 2018
State to partner with Israeli firm to create online database of Kenyans
EDAPS introduces biometric portal in Kenya
State of Privacy Kenya
In Kenya, Communications Surveillance Is A Matter of Life and Death
India: Identification Project Threatens Rights
210 govt websites had made Aadhaar details public: UIDAI
Rs 500, 10 minutes, and you have access to billion Aadhaar details
By making Aadhaar mandatory, Delhi’s government schools are shutting their doors to migrant children
Excluded by Aadhaar
How India's Welfare Revolution Is Starving Citizens
The Ethics of Surveillance
From Fingerprints to DNA: Biometric Data Collection in U.S. Immigrant Communities and Beyond
Episode 23: Fascism is The New Black
Episode 47: Digital Citizenship in the Silicon Savannah
Episode 58: The Cybercrimes Act
Episode 71: In Data We Trust
Image Credit: Kenya Monitor
In the aftermath of the attack on 14th Riverside on 15th January 2019, many citizens asked how they could help ease the situation, as well as assist the victims of the disaster. Today we’re joined by Naomi Mutua, a digital PR specialist and a citizen responder who has been at the front-lines of organizing responses to crises, to discuss this. Press play!
Resources
Disaster Preparedness
Disaster Preparedness Plan
How to prepare for emergencies
Community Preparedness and Risk Reduction
Institutional and Legal Readiness
Response & Recovery
Image Credit: Mercy Juma
The Constitution of Kenya (2010) in Article 8 states that there shall be no state religion. Yet, our national anthem, one of our national symbols (listed in Article 9), begins with “Eh Mungu Nguvu Yetu,” or “Oh God of all creation.” The preamble to the constitution states that “We, the people of Kenya – Acknowledging the supremacy of the Almighty God of all creation honour..."
We’re joined by Elizabeth Kabari, an advocate of the High Court and consultant, to talk about separation of church and state in Kenya, and the seeming contradictions and what they mean for us as Kenyans.
Resources
The Constitution of Kenya (2010)
The Constitution of Kenya (2001)
The Constitution of Kenya (1963)
Jesse Kamau & 25 others v Attorney General [2010]
The Ubiquity of Religion in Kenya
It's rule of law, not religion, that protects human rights in Kenya
How To Balance The Separation Of Church And State
Image Credit: Tuko
This past weekend, it was reported that universities had noted a worrying trend of students dying by suicide, with at least 12 cases having been recorded since January. Many more cases go unrecorded, but the causes were depression and other mental illnesses, family problems, intimate relationship problems, examination and fees stress, drug use among others.
We're joined by Anita Awuor, a clinical psychologist, to discuss mental health and well-being in Kenya, and to debunk common myths around mental health. Pres play!
Resources
Kenya Mental Health Policy [2015 - 2030]
Worrying trend of university students committing suicide
Mental health issues trigger suicides among students
Kenya suicide rate hits ten-year high
Health experts warn of mental illness crisis
People with mental illnesses struggle to find treatment
Mental health problems in Kenya and Africa and how their perception negatively impacts the provision of care
The taboo of mental illness in Kenya
This is how expensive it is to access mental healthcare in Kenya
Kenya's mental health law
Providing Sustainable Mental and Neurological Health Care in Ghana and Kenya: Workshop Summary
Image Credit: The Conversation
On November 18th 2018, the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Board (KMPDB) banned international health organization Marie Stopes from offering any form of abortion services after alleged complaints from the “public” that their radio adverts were promoting abortion. Abortion is a very emotive topic because it cuts across healthcare, sexual intercourse, religion, gender and sexuality, as well as policy. These are the lenses we will use to look not just at abortion, but reproductive healthcare as a whole.
Today, we’re joined by Dr. Stellah Bosire, a physician and human rights activist, to talk about abortion and reproductive healthcare in Kenya. Press play!
Resources
Board orders Marie Stopes to stop offering abortion services
Kenya bans Marie Stopes from offering abortion services
The Reproductive Health Care Bill (2014)
Kenya’s Abortion Provisions
In Harm's Way: The Impact of Kenya's Restrictive Abortion Law
Abortion in Kenya
Women’s Lives Matter: Preventing Unsafe Abortion in Kenya
Unsafe abortion in Kenya: a cross-sectional study of abortion complication severity and associated factors
Contraceptive Use among Women of Reproductive Age in Kenya’s City Slums
A System in Crisis from Contraception to Post-Abortion Care
Measurement, Learning & Evaluation of the Kenya Urban Reproductive Health Initiative (Tupange): Kenya Endline Service Delivery Point Survey 2014
2011 Kenya Urban Reproductive Health Service Delivery Report
Religious Affiliation and Contraceptive use in Kenya
Separating the Church from State: The Kenyan High Court's Decision in "Jesse Kamau and 25 Others v Attorney General" (Judgment of 24 May 2010)
Five facts about birth control in Kenya
Depo-Provera and HIV
New PRI Study Shows Depo-Provera Increases Risk of HIV Infection
Sexuality Education in Kenya: New Evidence from Three Counties
The reality of sexuality: Schools are taking the wrong approach on sex education
Women and The Law: A Spotlight On Recent Kenyan Legislation
What About Nerea?
Mollis and the Troubling Attitude Towards Sex in Kenya
What About The Girl Child?
The Elephant in Kenya’s Room
Image Credit: Focus Africa
The Constitution of Kenya (2010) has multiple provisions that govern representation, but the two-thirds gender principle has been the most difficult to implement. Article 27(8) states that the State shall take legislative and other measures to implement the principle that not more than two-thirds of the members of elective or appointive bodies shall be of the same gender. Article 81(b) states that not more than two-thirds of the members of elective public bodies shall be of the same gender. Article 175(c) also states that no more than two-thirds of the members of representative bodies in each county government shall be of the same gender.
It has been 8 years now since we passed the constitution, but we have yet to enact legislation that enforces these constitutional provisions. Today, we're joined by Marilyn Kamuru, a lawyer, writer and consultant, to talk about how this refusal to enact this principle has put Kenya in a constitutional crisis. Press play!
Resources
Where Women Are: Gender & The 2017 Kenyan Elections
MPs divided over Bill as lobbying steps up
Uhuru urges MPs to pass the two-thirds gender Bill tomorrow
Uhuru, Raila appeal to MPs as gender bill goes to the vote
A Gender Analysis of the 2017 Kenya General Elections
OUR UNLAWFUL LAWMAKERS: Parliament, the Supreme Court and the Gender Principle
Why we cannot change the Constitution without violating it
The Elephant in Kenya’s Room
Flower Girls, Girlfriends and Sexist Discourse: The Politics of the Two-Thirds Gender Bill
The F-word: The Place of Feminism In Contemporary Kenya
In The Name Of Freedom
Are Kenyans Over-represented?
Episode 49: Women and Youth in Kenyan Politics
Episode 68: Women and the 2017 Elections
Image Credit: The Informer
In our first ever live event, we were joined by Joy Ndubai, Kwame Owino and Alex Owino to discuss how public finance and tax justice intersect with our right to food in Kenya.
What is tax justice and public finance, and how do they interact with our access to affordable food? What current circumstances/challenges do we face as a country that make us food insecure? In which ways do the current policy frameworks and systems in Kenya undermine food security and the right to food and how does our public finance system alleviate or contribute to these challenges?
What steps should the Kenyan state take towards achieving the food security and right to food? How can we better use our taxes and craft financial systems/frameworks to make sure that we have adequate food that is accessible and affordable for all? How about citizens? How can we get to know how public money is used, hold our government(s) accountable, and build expectations of service delivery re: clean and safe food? Press play to find out!
In our first ever live event, we were joined by Joy Ndubai, Kwame Owino and Alex Owino to discuss how public finance and tax justice intersect with our right to food in Kenya.
What is tax justice and public finance, and how do they interact with our access to affordable food? What current circumstances/challenges do we face as a country that make us food insecure? In which ways do the current policy frameworks and systems in Kenya undermine food security and the right to food and how does our public finance system alleviate or contribute to these challenges?
What steps should the Kenyan state take towards achieving the food security and right to food? How can we better use our taxes and craft financial systems/frameworks to make sure that we have adequate food that is accessible and affordable for all? How about citizens? How can we get to know how public money is used, hold our government(s) accountable, and build expectations of service delivery re: clean and safe food? Press play to find out!
On Monday, 12th November, 2018, commuters woke up to a matatu "strike" that saw fares rise to almost double (or even triple) what they normally are. The cause of the strike? The government’s declaration that it would once again begin enforcing the “Michuki Rules” commencing that day. Many were left stranded as matatus were pulled off the road to comply with the rules, which had never been revoked in the first place.
This was the government's response to a bus accident at Fort Ternan that claimed 58 lives. Today, we're joined by Constant Cap, an urban planner, to talk about why the lack of road safety in Kenya is actually a planning issue, and what we can do to remedy the situation. Press play!
Resources
10 bodies yet to be claimed after Fort Ternan road accident
Matatus' mad rush to comply with Michuki rules
Michuki Rules: Kenya back to square one
The Traffic Act (2013)
The Organization, Issues and the Future Role of the Matatu Industry in Nairobi, Kenya
Nairobi County Non-Motorized Transport Policy
Planning and Road Safety: Opportunities and Barriers
The Influence of Urban Planning on Road Safety
Digital Matatus
Naipolitans: Facebook, Twitter
Critical Mass: Facebook, Twitter
Re-imagining Nairobi
Open Streets Cape Town
[Rwanda] Car-free day: What is the impact?
Image Credit: Nairobi News
The Blankets and Wine Festival, a pioneer in the Kenyan live music scene, turned 10 years old on 3rd November 2018. We are joined by its founder, Muthoni Drummer Queen, to talk about its journey, the growth of live music in Kenya and how it has evolved in the past decade, as well as what the future holds for Kenyan music. Press play!
Image Credit: Blankets and Wine
Intellectual Property (IP) is intangible property that arises from the mind/human intellect – it could be anything from inventions, literary and artistic works, designs, symbols, names and images used in commerce. Legal rights are derived from this intellectual activity in industrial, scientific, literary and artistic fields.
There are two main types of IP – industrial property and copyright. We are joined by June Okal,a technology, media and telecommunications lawyer passionate about the law and technology, to discuss intellectual property in Kenya.
Resources
The Copyright Act (2001)
The Copyright (Amendment) Bill, 2017
The Industrial Property Act (2001)
The Movable Property Security Rights Act (2017)
The Trade Marks Act (2002)
Kenya Copyright Board (KECOBO)
Kenya Industrial Property Institute (KIPI)
Intellectual Property Rights in Kenya: Towards a More Effective Dispute Resolution Framework
The Legitimacy of Indigenous Intellectual Property Rights’ claims
Episode 63: The Business of Music
Episode 71: In Data We Trust
Image Credit: Cookswell
KCSE (Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education) examinations kicked off on Monday 22nd October, 2018. 664, 586 students will be taking the exams, which test what they have studied in their four years of secondary education in three to four weeks. This year, the state has undertaken many tyrannical measures to stop exam cheating, including threatening to send parents of children caught cheating to jail.
We're joined by Nyambura Mutanyi, a multi-disciplinary artist who has been active in crafting education policy, to discuss what causes exam cheating, how prevalent it is (less than 1% of candidates are caught cheating), and what we can do to improve the state of examinations and education in general in Kenya. Press play!
Resources
Why Kenyan students are cheating in their exams and what can be done
Factors Influencing Recurrence Examination Irregularities in Public Secondary Schools in Kisii County, Kenya
[2016] New formula crafted to curb exam cheating
[2016] National school candidates among 5,101 KSCE exam cheats
[2016] Report reveals how teachers, students used phones to cheat in KCSE
[2016] Schools calendar overhauled in new war against exam cheating
[2017] Exam cheats to be fined Sh5 million
[2017] Boarding schools to be audited and why many may be closed
30 schools on State watchlist for collecting exam cheating money
Knec names national exam cheating hotspots
Tight security as KCSE exams begin
200 schools targeted in exam cheating probe
Teachers asking for Sh10,000 to buy exams, warns KNEC
Meeting on cheating in exams scheduled
KCSE begins today as Government puts in tough exam measures
'Militant’ handling of exams worries parents and learners
Image Credit: Mpasho
Technology Assisted Violence Against Women (TAVAW) comprises acts of gender-based violence that are committed through the use of Information and Communication Technologies(ICTs), such as phones, the Internet, social media platforms, and email. Many questions arise: is online violence really violence? Why is TAVAW such an important issue to address? What are the ways in which women experience technology assisted violence? What are its consequences, and how can we stop it?
We’re joined by Muthoni Maingi, a digital media strategist, to talk about this. Press play!
Resources
Ending Technology-Assisted Violence Against Women in Kenya
#Toxictwitter: Violence and Abuse Against Women Online
Cyber Violence Against Women and Girls: a World-Wide Wake-Up Call
Understanding Technology-Related Violence Against Women: Types of Violence and Women’s Experiences
From Impunity to Justice: Domestic Legal Remedies for Cases of Technology-Related Violence Against Women
From Impunity to Justice: Improving Corporate Policies to End Technology-Related Violence Against Women
Technology-Related Violence Against Women – Recent Legislative Trends
Internet Intermediaries and Violence Against Women Online: User Policies and Redress Framework of Facebook, Twitter and YouTube
UNHRC Submission (Online Violence Against Women)
Image Credit: Amnesty International
In September 2016, Kenya passed the Banking Amendment Act, creating interest rate controls where there were none before. It sets the maximum lending rate at no more than 4% above the Central Bank base rate; and the minimum interest rate granted on a deposit held in interest earning accounts with commercial banks to at least 70% of the same rate.
There has been an ongoing debate in the two years since on whether we should remove these controls because of their perverse effect on our economy. Today, we're joined by Elizabeth Wangechi, the Head of Research at Genghis Capital, to discuss the impact of these controls. Press play!
Resources
The Banking (Amendment) Act 2016
The Impact of Interest Rate Capping on the Kenyan Economy - Full
The Impact of Interest Rate Capping on the Kenyan Economy - Summary
CBK regrets interest rates cap due to negative effects on economy
MPs uphold rate cap law, scrap interest on savings
CBK spells out loan rules ahead of interest rate cap review
Image Credit: FT.com
Kenya currently has two draft Data Protection bills both tabled in 2018. One is a Senate Bill sponsored by senator Gideon Moi, while the other is a National Assembly Bill sponsored by the Ministry of ICT. The right to privacy is a fundamental human right. In Article 31, our constitution says that every person has the right to privacy, which includes the right not to have - their person, home or property searched; their possessions seized; information relating to their family or private affairs unnecessarily required or revealed; or the privacy of their communications infringed.
Today we’re joined by Lucy Mwangi, an ICT lawyer, to discuss the importance of data protection and privacy, the pros and cons of each draft bill, as well as best case practices (such as the GDPR - General Data Protection Regulations) we should aim for in our legislation. Press play!
Resources
Senate Data Protection Bill, 2018
Ministry of ICT Data Protection Bill, 2018
Privacy and Data Protection Policy 2018 – Kenya
General Data Protection Regulation - GDPR
What is GDPR and how will it affect you?
What does GDPR mean for me? An explainer
What Is GDPR and Why Should You Care?
The 2018 Finance Act, one of the most controversial in recent times, was passed into law on 21st September 2018 despite public opposition. Today we're joined by Mokeira Nyagaka, a research analyst at the International Budget Partnership Kenya, to talk about public finance, which is the management of a country’s revenue, expenditure and debt through government institutions.
Do our public finance policies help us achieve growth, stability, equity and efficiency? Are they in line with our constitution? What is a finance bill, and what is its role in public finance? What are the other laws that govern public finance in Kenya, and how do they interact? Is revenue shared equitably between the national government and county governments? What does Kenya's debt position mean for our future? What is the role of the Kenyan public when it comes to public finance? Press play to find out!
Resources
The 2018 budget speech in full
The Finance Bill (2018)
The Public Finance Management Act (2012)
The Budget Policy Statement (BPS), 2018
Laws on Devolution
The Consolidated Fund Services (CFS) Report by the Controller of Budget
Quarterly Economic and Budgetary Review
Historical Debt Trends
How Much Should Counties in Kenya Receive in 2018/19?
How Fair are Revenue Sharing Mechanisms in Fighting Intra-County Inequalities in Kenya?
Budget Making in Kenya
Budget Transparency: Kenyan Perspective
Deliberating Budgets: How Public Deliberation Can Move Us Beyond the Public Participation Rhetoric
The Kenyan Public Finance Management Act 2012 FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) For Citizens
Public Participation Under Kenya’s New Public Financial Management Law and Beyond
County Budget and Economic Forums (CBEFs) and Public Participation in Kenya: A Synthesis of Case Studies from Five Counties
Image Credit: Nairobi News
Beginning September 1st 2018, 16% VAT was applied on petroleum products, sparking nationwide uproar. This tax on petroleum products was first proposed by the VAT Act (2013) and scheduled to kick in in September 2016. However, in 2016, it was postponed by another 2 years. Before the price increase, petrol was KES 113.73, diesel was KES 102.74 and kerosene was KES 84.95 in Nairobi. After VAT was applied on September 1st, the price of petrol became KES 127.80, diesel KES 115.00 and kerosene KES 97.41.
Kenyans are now paying 44% in taxes per litre of fuel. We're joined by Ramah Nyang, a journalist, to discuss this increase in tax and the effects it will have on Kenyans' lives. Press play!
Resources
Fuel VAT to raise prices by up to Sh17 per litre
Treasury to take Sh57.57 for every litre of petrol sold
Kenyans big losers if fuel prices rise
Tough times ahead as prices of basic goods, services set to rise
Minority Whip Junet Mohamed seeks to delay tax plan on fuel
Uhuru cuts fuel VAT to 8%, State hospitality expenditure
Kenya National Bureau of Statistics: Economic Survey 2018
Kenya National Bureau of Statistics: INFLATION TRENDS 1961-PRESENT
Kenya National Bureau of Statistics: Integrated Household Budget Survey
Kenya National Bureau of Statistics: Consumer Price Indices and Inflation Rates for August 2018
Kenya National Bureau of Statistics: Quarterly Gross Domestic Product Report First Quarter, 2018
Death by VAT
Taxing for a More Equal Kenya
Episode 62: Tax Justice in Kenya
Image Credit: Bizna Kenya
In the August 2017 general election, we had 9 women running for Governor, 25 for Senate, 115 for Member of National Assembly (MNA), and 261 for Member of County Assembly (MCA). That was a total of 410 women aspirants, which was even lower than the number in the 2013 election, which was 449. To compare, the total number of candidates for these positions was: 210 for Governor, 1,893 for both MNA and Senate, 11,858 for MCA, and 8 men are running for president. Only 9% of the candidates were women.
Three women made history by becoming Kenya's first female governors, and three others became the first elected female senators (in 2013, all women in the Senate had been nominated). We're joined by Nanjala Nyabola, a writer, humanitarian advocate and political analyst, to talk about women and the 2017 elections, and where women are based on the findings of a book she co-edited: "Where Women Are: Gender & The 2017 Kenyan Elections". Press play!
Resources
Where Women Are: Gender & The 2017 Kenyan Elections
A Gender Analysis of the 2017 Kenya General Elections
Key Gains and Challenges: A Gender Audit of Kenya's 2013 Election Process
Flower Girls, Girlfriends and Sexist Discourse: The Politics of the Two-Thirds Gender Bill
Women Contributions in Parliament
Political Party Nominations
An Overview of the 2017 General Election
On Voting
The Election Boycott Of 2017
Women gear up for elections in Kenya
“They Were Men in Uniform”: Sexual Violence against Women and Girls in Kenya’s 2017 Elections
OUR UNLAWFUL LAWMAKERS: Parliament, the Supreme Court and the Gender Principle
Why we cannot change the Constitution without violating it
Episode 49: Women and Youth in Kenyan Politics
Image Credit: Her Story Wins
Last Week, BBC Africa Eye released a three part series titled Sex and the Sugar Daddy (or Sugar in short) that has driven a lot of conversation about sponsors both online and offline. Today we’re joined by the film-maker behind the series, Nyasha Kadandara, to talk about why she made the series, what she learned, and what she thinks the way forward is. Press play!
Resources
Sex and the Sugar Daddy
Bridget Achieng: "Baby girl, nothing goes for nothing" - BBC Africa Eye
"If he's asking me to sleep with him, I will" - BBC Africa Eye
"Sometimes, sex ain't wrong at all" - BBC Africa Eye
Sugar dating in Kenya: An investigation of ‘Sponsorship’ among female university students in Nairobi
Image Credit: BBC
The Kenyan Constitution states that every person has the right to be free from hunger, and to have adequate food of acceptable quality. This means that the people of Kenya are entitled to food security, which is when all people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient,, safe and nutritious food which meets their dietary needs and food preferences.
This week, we are joined by Grace Githiri, an urban planner and Geographical Information Systems expert, to look at food security in Nairobi, where 63 - 70% of the population lives in informal settlements which occupy only 6% of the land in Nairobi. Press play!
Resources
Cha Kula: Serving Thought for Food
The Route to Food Initiative
Nourishing livelihoods: Recognising and supporting food vendors in Nairobi’s informal settlements
Slum Almanac 2015/2016: Tracking Improvement in the Lives of Slum Dwellers
World Habitat Day 2014 – ‘Voices from Slums’
2017 Situational Analysis: Mukuru Kwa Njenga, Kwa Reuben & Viwandani
Improving Access to Justice and Basic Services: Situational Analysis Report
Nairobi: Inventory
The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (2017)
Episode 60: Nai Ni Who?
Episode 61: Stop Killing Us
Episode 62: Tax Justice in Kenya
Image Credit: Antony Mayunga
The Lake Turkana basin is an over 70,000-square-kilometer region that is home to Lake Turkana, East Africa’s most saline lake, and the largest desert lake in the world. The area is home to pastoral communities like the Turkana, Samburu, El Molo, Rendille, Gabra and Dassanach. It is also a breeding ground for Nile crocodiles, hippopotamuses, and many snakes. On 26th March 2012, Mwai Kibaki announced the discovery of oil in Turkana County by Tullow Oil, a British company. Three wells had been discovered, holding at least 250 million barrels. Since then, more oil has been discovered, and it is estimated hat we have between 600 million - 1 billion barrels.
We're joined by Ikal Angelei, coordinator of Friends of Lake Turkana, to discuss the oil in Turkana as well as the other environmental issues affecting the Lake Turkana area. Press play!
Resources
Early Oil from Turkana – Marginal Benefits/Unacknowledged Costs Report
Kenya Civil Society Platform on Oil & Gas (KCSPOG) Statement: Early Oil Pilot Scheme Environmental and Social Impact Assessment Kenya beats odds to become first EA nation to export oil “When I grew up the land was for the community”: Oil troubles in Turkana Oil discovery in Turkana County, Kenya: A source of conflict or development? Cost of Turkana oil stand-off hits Sh1bn Tullow Oil threatens to shut down Turkana operations in two weeks Leaders reach deal to allow trucking of oil from Turkana Image Credit: Turkana Land
The #Repeal162 movement is a part of a long struggle for the recognition and protection of the rights of the LGBTQI community in Kenya. It consists of 2 ongoing court cases: Eric Gitari v Attorney General & another (Petition no. 150 of 2016) and John Mathenge and 7 others v Attorney General (Petition no. 234 of 2016). These petitions ask the court to declare Section 162 (a) and (c) and section 165 of the Penal Code (Cap 63) as unconstitutional, and therefore inapplicable, in Kenya.
We’re joined by Kari Mugo of the National Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (NGLHRC) to talk about #Repeal162 as well as the human rights environment in Kenya for LGBTQI persons.
In 2017, the Music Copyright Society of Kenya (MCSK) had its license refuse to be renewed by the Kenya Copyright Board (KECOBO) for failure to submit its audited financial statements and amounts paid in royalties to its members. MCSK is a membership organization that has existed since 1983 (for music authors, publishers, composers, and arrangers), and it is supposed to collect royalties derived from mechanical/reproduction rights, performing rights and synchronization rights and distribute at least 70% to its members. This has not been the case in recent years.
We are joined by Dan Aceda, a musician and director at the Music Publishers Association of Kenya (MPAKE), to discuss how copyright works, the problem with the under-resourcing of KECOBO, the rot at MCSK, the failure to pay musicians their royalties, and the way forward for musicians and lovers of their work. Press play!
This week, we explore tax justice, which looks at the intersection between taxation, inequality and human rights. Why do we pay taxes? We have a social contract with the state. We give up some freedoms to it, and in return we receive security, healthcare, education, infrastructure and other services that enable us to become a functional and prosperous society. To invest in these social programs and in public property, which enables our goal, the government needs steady/sustainable financing from taxes. Taxes are also used to re-distribute money that is concentrated in the upper classes to the middle and lower classes. They help us run an effective government, which is why it matters how much money is collected, how it is collected, and how it is used.
Do taxes perform their functions in Kenya? What exactly is tax justice, and why is the conversation around it important in Kenya today? Is Kenya’s tax regime going to pull us out of poverty or keep us there? Why is it that Kenya can’t raise enough revenue from taxation? How can we go about stopping tax dodging to ensure we’re not robbing the poor? Should we have a tax strike? We're joined by Joy Ndubai, a tax justice advocate, to answer all these questions. Press play!
7th July in Kenya is Saba Saba Day, a historic day on which Kenyans protested successfully for multiparty democracy in 1990, with many losing their lives and getting beaten and tortured by the police. This year, there was the Saba Saba March for Our Lives, organized by the Social Justice Centres Working Group, which consists groups from Mathare, Dandora, Kayole, Mukuru, Kibra, Kamukunji and Githurai. The demand? An end to extrajudicial killings, investigations into the ones that have occurred, and most importantly, justice. We're joined by Wangui Kimari, Urban Anthropologist and Participatory Action Research Coordinator, Mathare Social Justice Centre, to discuss this. Press play!
This episode is dedicated to everyone who lives and loves in Nairobi, as well as everyone who’s been in the city. We’re joined by Mutheu Mbondo, one of the organizers of Nai Ni Who?, a festival which explores of Nairobi, celebrating the good, the bad & the possibilities. This year, the festival is from July 3rd to August 8th, and the neighbourhoods include the Jua Kali area and Burma Market, which are both in Kamukunji; Kibra, Eastleigh, Mukuru and Huruma; there are inter-neighbourhood games in Lang’ata, a crafts tour as well as a game tour in Karen; a city parade in the Nairobi Central Business District, as well as walking tours of Kenyatta Avenue and River Road.
What is the motivation for the festival? What informs the selection of the places the tour will take place? Why these areas/neighbourhoods and not others? Why a walking tour? What unique flavour do they add to Nairobi? Press play to find out!
Rafiki, a film by Wanuri Kahiu, is a story about two young women who fall in love, despite their families being on opposing sides of the Kenyan political divide. It is adapted from the 2007 Caine Prize-winning short story, Jambula Tree, by Ugandan writer Monica Arac de Nyeko. On 12th April 2018, it was announced that it would debut at the Cannes Film Festival in the Un Certain Regard category in May 2018. This made it the first Kenyan feature film to achieve this feat.
On 27th April 2018, the head of Kenya Film Classification Board (KFCB), Ezekiel Mutua, announced that the film had been banned from screening and distribution in Kenya because of “its homosexual theme and clear intent to promote lesbianism in Kenya contrary to the law.” We are joined by Wanuri Kahiu to discuss the film, the story it tells, and what it mean whens stories that are made primarily for a Kenyan audience are denied this audience. Press play!
On 16th May 2018, Uhuru Kenyatta signed into law the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act, despite critiques from multiple parties, including the Bloggers Association of Kenya (BAKE), Article 19, and the Kenyan Union of Journalists, among others. As a result, BAKE moved to court to challenge this law, and 26 out of 46 sections were suspended, and this was upheld earlier this week until a later hearing in October 2018.
While some people think it does the important work of protecting our country against cybercrime and protecting the digital economy, others rightfully believe it is an attack on internet freedoms, constitutional rights to privacy, freedom of expression and to access information. We are joined by Grace Mutungu, a lawyer and associate at KICTANET, to discuss the Act. Press play!
Resources
The Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act (2017)
Kenya: Computer and Cybercrimes Bill 2017
Kenya: Passage of flawed Computer and Cybercrimes Act threatens free expression
Kenya’s Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Bill Signed into Law
Review on the New Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act – Kenya
The Computer and Cybercrimes Bill of 2017
New cybercrime law ‘is not too bad’, says CS Mucheru
Cybercrime law changes too harsh, lobbies say
High Court suspends portions of cybercrime law
Privacy, security and legality are not the only serious problems with Aadhaar. Here are four more
Aadhaar Isn't Just About Privacy. There Are 30 Challenges the Govt Is Facing in Supreme Court
The odd reality of life under China's all-seeing credit score system
Life Inside China’s Social Credit Laboratory
Image Credit: Barefoot Law
Between October 2017 and January 2018, many Kenyans came online to complain about electricity bills that were double, and in some cases triple, what they normally pay. These were, in essence, backdated electricity bills intended to recover KES 10.1 billion in fuel costs that Kenya Power had included in their financial statements for the year ending June 30 2017 with the intent to recover from consumers.
As a result, Apollo Mboya and the Electricity Consumers Society of Kenya moved to court to stop this action. This marked the beginning of the #SwitchOffKPLC Campaign. We are joined by Jerotich Seii, a humanitarian and development consultant, active citizen and one of the organizers of the campaign to discuss its importance to Kenyan democracy. Press play!
Resources
Episode 55: #DeCOALonize
Legal action lodged against Kenya Power for inflated billing
POWER STRUGGLES: Unmasking the thieves behind the KPLC heist
HIGHWAY ROBBERY AND SEX TOYS: Plunder by the numbers
It is time to end the suffocating monopoly Kenya Power enjoys
Skewed deals between Kenya and power firms spark price shocks
Why Ruto’s ally Charles Keter holds the lucrative Ministry of Energy
How to work out the average cost of electricity in Kenya
Power bills to go down as Uhuru orders levy scrap
Delayed KPLC tokens thrust Kenyans into darkness
Ketraco defends value for Sh200bn power lines amid delays
Sh6.3 billion scam erupts at power transmission firm
Sales of off-grid solar systems dim in 7 years
Electricity tariffs to drop by 8pc in July, ERC tells House
Image Credit: Pulse Live
Between May 2017 and June 2018, 47 Ugandan women have been found brutally murdered; having been kidnapped and sexually assaulted or raped. Only three suspects have been arrested in relation to these kidnappings and murders, and none of them has been convicted or jailed. The investigations have been slow, and as a result, Ugandan women have decided to protest against the slow response by the police on the 30th of June 2018. Today, we're joined by Godiva Akullo, Deputy Director of Chapter Four Uganda and one of the conveners of the Women's Protest Working Group. We talk about femicide, violence against women, and how we can support their protest. Press play!
Resources
Uganda's women say enough is enough
Why are so many women being murdered in Uganda?
Family seeks justice for student who fell off a moving bus to her death
Magara narrates how daughter Susan met her gruesome death
Is Susan Magara murder investigation dead?
Fury over arrest of academic who called Uganda's president a pair of buttocks
Uganda: Why Stella Nyanzi’s radical rudeness scares the government
Even The Streets Aren’t Safe
Kenyans hold miniskirt rally after assault
Image Credit: Dr. Stella Nyanzi
Kenya is currently in the middle of a heavy debate about the proposed 1050 megawatt coal power plant in Lamu. This plant will cost us 2 billion dollars, which is about 202 billion Kenya Shillings. We also seek to start the mining of coal at the Mui Basin in Kitui, where Africa's largest coal reserves are located. This has been met with much protest, due to the harmful effects of coal to people and the environment.
We are joined by Omar Elmawi, a coordinator of the #deCOALonize movement, to talk about why we must resist the setup of this power plant, as well as the green energy alternatives available to Kenya. Press play!
Resources
#deCOALonize on Twitter
Blow for residents, activists in bid to stop Sh200bn coal plant
GE buys Sh40bn stake in Lamu coal plant
Why the Lamu coal plant doesn’t make sense. Kenya has better energy options
Kenya plans to cut Lamu coal power plant capacity by half
Geothermal Energy in Kenya
Geothermal Energy Grows in Kenya
Lake Turkana Wind Power
Kenya is building Africa’s biggest wind energy farm to generate a fifth of its power
The case for renewable energy
Kenya To Build East & Central Africa’s Largest Solar-Power Plant In Garissa
Image Credit: Quartz Africa
The last few weeks have been jarring for Kenyans as we found out that we'd had yet another maize scandal, and this time we lost KES 2 billion at the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) to 21 people. We also found out that we lost KES 9 billion to 10 companies that were irregularly awarded National Youth Service (NYS) tenders. That’s a total of KES 11 billion. A few days ago, it also came to light that we had lost between KES 70 - 95 billion at the Kenya Pipeline Corporation (KPC). This scandal is still unfolding.
Today, were joined by Anzetse Were (@Anzetse), a development economist, to talk about the cost of corruption on our economy. What does this looting do to our country? Press play!
Resources
Detectives dig up dirt in Sh95bn pipeline of scams
Detectives probe possible loss of Sh70 billion at Kenya Pipeline
Treasury auditor on the run as 20 are charged with NYS looting
Revealed: Firms that gained from Sh9bn NYS scandal
NYS did business with ghost firms in Sh9bn tender scam
MPs summon Kiunjuri over Sh1.9bn NCPB scandal
Inside story of the NCPB maize scam
Gov’t reveals names of 21 maize scandal beneficiaries
Corruption Perceptions Index 2016
Corruption Perceptions Index 2017
Welcome back to Season 2 of Otherwise?! We're so happy to be back. Today, we're going to be looking at some of the legal issues that may be pertinent in Kenya in 2018, including freedom of expression, press freedom, fake news, data protection, cyberterrorism, the two-thirds gender principle, and the #Repeal162 movement. We're joined by Jeptum Bullut, a lawyer and partner at BMN Advocates, to discuss them.
Press play!
Resources
Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act, 2018
Court suspends Cybercrime Act pending bloggers’ case
High Court suspends portions of cybercrime law
Prevention of Terrorism Act
ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN: Uhuru Kenyatta’s proposed Cabinet raises serious constitutional and legal questions
The Unacknowledged Constitutional Crisis in Kenya
Lobby asks court to disband Uhuru’s cabinet over two-thirds gender rule
2 NGOs move to court on the two-thirds gender rule
Kenya ranked low in women representation in parliament
MPs make fresh attempt at Gender Bill Tuesday
#Repeal162
Decriminalisation Of Consensual Same Sex Sexual Conduct In Kenya
Kenya: Landmark Decriminalise Same Sex Case #Repeal162
Petition to repeal law against same sex relationships is timely
Image Credit: Capital FM Kenya
Music Credit: Ha He by Just a Band
It's been a year of podcasting here at Otherwise?, and to mark this occasion we have Owaahh of Owaahh.com with us this week to discuss what we call the Kenyan experiment. In what order did the communities currently settled in Kenya arrive? How did they interact? What impact did colonialism have on tribe/ethnicity in Kenya? How did this change or remain the same at independence? Why have we entrenched ethnocentrism as a means of organization in our successive governments? What do we know about secessionist movements in Kenya? Has the Kenyan experiment failed? Do we have any hope of ever making it work? Press play!
Resources
The Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission (TJRC) Report
The Kroll Investigative Report on Wealth of President Moi and Associates
Kroll Report Wiki
The 2017 general election is now behind us, and we are still asking ourselves questions and processing how it went. This week, we are joined by Mark Kaigwa of Nendo and Odanga Madung of OdipoDev to discuss how the election season played out online. How many Kenyans are there on social media? How does the diaspora feature in conversation? Is fake news new to the Kenyan scene? What role did Cambridge Analytica play in this election? What can we learn from the April Primaries? Were there any missed opportunities in the vice-presidential and presidential debates? What did a robot learn when it watched Raila Odinga's debate performance? How did online media drive conversation before the election? How did the election play out on social media? Who is #GitheriMan? What is Sarahah, and why is it suddenly so popular? Now that the election is over, where are we now, and what can we expect moving forward? Press play to find out!
Resources
Track, Capture, Kill: Inside Communications Surveillance and Counterterrorism in Kenya
Kenyatta Wins Big in Kenya–But U.S.-Style Election Skullduggery Taints the Results
Voter profiling in the 2017 Kenyan election
Kenya’s elections show how the media has sold its soul
Trump’s Big-Data Gurus Worked On The Kenyan Election, Amid Concerns Over Fake News And Hacking Allegations
3 Things We Discovered From 3 Months of Investigating Fake News in Kenya
A Robot Watched Raila’s Debate Performance, Here’s What It Found
Mark's Thread on #GitheriMan
Mark's Thread on Sarahah
Photo credit: Ian Kinuthia
Tomorrow is D-day – we will have our second election since we got the 2010 constitution, and our sixth as a multi-party democracy. What do you need to be aware of as you head to the ballot? We’ve got you covered, press play!
Resources
FACTSHEET: What you need to know about Kenya’s 2017 general election
Women gear up for elections in Kenya
Why Are Kenyan Elections So Expensive?
UchaguziBot
PigaKura.com
How to be a citizen Observer without hanging around the polling station all day
Patrick Gathara’s Twitter thread
NOTE: the figures quoted for the number of women running were from UN women and UNDP. According to Africa Check, however, we have 9 women running for Governor, 131 women running for Member of National Assembly, 21 running for Senator, 299 running for County Woman Representative, and 900 running for Member of County Assembly. That comes to a total of 1,360, out of a total of 14,523 candidates, coming to 9.36%.
We are now four days away from the 2017 general election. This week, we are joined by Nerima Wako, Executive Director of Siasa Place, to discuss the role of women and youth in Kenyan politics, and their place in society as a whole. These two groups of make up majority of Kenya’s population but somehow receive few, if any, of the benefits. This government came in on a promise to increase their representation and improve their status. Have they fulfilled their promises? Why have they failed to pass the Gender Two-Thirds Bill? What are the challenges that women and youth face in public and political life in Kenya? How can solve them? Press play!
Resources
My Day at Industrial Area Police Station
Women Contributions in Parliament
Jipeshughuli Report (regarding funds for youth)
We are only 11 days away from the 2017 general election, and this week, we are joined by Dr. Njoki Ngumi of The Nest Collective and HEVA Fund to discuss sports, arts and culture, and what it means to be Kenyan. Has the Jubilee Coalition delivered on its promises that were focused on bolstering sports, arts and culture? Why is Kenya so hostile to its artists? What can we learn from the closure of Phoenix Theatre? What challenges does our sports sector face that prevent it from being as vibrant as we'd want it to be? What role does culture play in Kenya? Do we have a national identity? How can we build one? Press play!
Resources
Episode 3: Olympics Shame
Global Corruption Report: Sport
Stories of Our Lives
We are 18 days away from Kenya's 2017 general election, and this week, we are joined by Nanjira Sambuli, Digital Equality Advocacy Manager at the Web Foundation and awesome digital citizen to talk about ICT (Information and Communications Technology) in Kenya, which is billed as the Silicon Savannah. Has the Jubilee Coalition delivered on its 2013 manifesto promises? Will we have an internet shutdown during/after this election? How is Kenya's tech ecosystem doing? How does it compare to the rest of Africa? Is the KFCB overstepping its mandate? Is what Ezekiel Mutua is doing censorship? How about the NCIC and its work on "ending" hate speech? Is this approach the right approach? How do ICTs change what it means to be a Kenyan citizen? How do they affect our present and future? Press play to fins out! :)
Resources
National Information & Communications Technology (ICT) Policy (2006)
Track, Capture, Kill: Inside Communications Surveillance and Counterterrorism in Kenya
Serianu Kenya Cybersecurity Report 2016
The Information Communication Technology Practitioners Bill, 2016
Episode 11: Censored
Episode 7: Do Not Feed The Facebook
What is Free Basics?
NOTE: The Isiolo International Airport has since been completed and is operational.
We are now 25 days away from the general election, scheduled for 8th August 2017. This week, we talk about Kenya's economy with Kwame Owino, the CEO of the Institute of Economic Affairs. Has the Jubilee Coalition delivered on the promises in its 2013 manifesto? Is our approach to infrastructure such as roads and rail the correct one? Have we managed to make Kenya a manufacturing hub as we envisioned? Do Kenyans have access to decent and affordable housing? If not, why is that? Why don't we have food security, and does our approach to agriculture make sense? Press play to find out!
Resources
Housing Policy as an Agenda for Elections 2017
Episode 24: Drought Begins With You
We are 32 days away from the 2017 General Election. This week, we are joined by Dr. Wandia Njoya to discuss education in Kenya, with a focus of curriculum reform. What do we want to achieve when we educate our children/citizens? Are we focused on the right things? How did the missionaries and colonialists affect how we still educate our children today? Why did we switch from the 7-4-2-3 curriculum to 8-4-4? What did this switch do to our country? What are we hoping to achieve by switching from 8-4-4 to 2-6-3-3-3? Is our education system still colonial? How can we decolonize it? Press play to find out!
Resources
National Curriculum Policy
We are now 39 days away from the 2017 General Election. This week, we speak with Dr. Mercy Korir, a medical doctor and healthcare correspondent, on the state of health services in Kenya, with a focus on the last five years. Has the Jubilee coalition fulfilled the promises they made in their 2013 manifesto regarding healthcare? Why is it that healthcare practitioners have been on strike so much? Are we in the middle of a Cholera outbreak? What role does leadership and governance play when it comes to healthcare? What is the role of NHIF? How can we make Kenya a healthier nation? Press play to find out!
Resources
Episode 21: #LipaKamaTender
Episode 37: Now What?
We are now 46 days away from this year’s general election. This week, we talk to Christine Mungai, a writer and journalist, about Kenya’s media. We talk about the July 2013 media breakfast at State House, the laws this government has passed to undermine press freedom; the impact media ownership and advertising have on what gets covered; the intimidation of journalists, bloggers and social media users; censorship by Ezekiel Mutua and the KFCB, and the 2017 general election. How are we doing as compared to the rest of the region and the world when it comes to media freedom? How does the state undermine this freedom? Press play to find out!
Resources
Kenya Information and Communication (Amendment) Act 2013
Media Council Act 2013
We are 53 days away from this year's general election, and this week, we talk to Nanjala Nyabola, a writer and policy analyst, about Kenya's foreign policy. In 2014, for the first time since our independence, we published a written foreign policy document. Its vision is the pursuit of a peaceful, prosperous and globally competitive Kenya, and its mission is to project, promote and protect Kenya's interests and image globally through innovative diplomacy, and contribute towards a just, peaceful and equitable world. How are we doing so far? Press play to find out! Resources Kenya Foreign Policy
We are 60 days away from the 2017 General Election, and this week, we talk to Scheaffer Okore, the vice chairperson of the Ukweli Party, on what it means to be an active citizen, why they founded the party, what challenges they faced when starting it, how they are different from other political parties, how they propose to increase the representation of the youth, women and other marginalized groups in power, why they are crowd-funding chairperson Boniface Mwangi's campaign for Starehe MP, and most importantly, how they want to change Kenya through governance and leadership. Press play! Resources Episode 40: Election 2017 - An Overview I Just Wanted To Go Home
We're now two months away from the 2017 General Election, so we thought we'd do a status check. As we've learnt from past Kenyan elections, and recent elections worldwide, election coverage is very important, and we’ve seen media coverage get used to results in wild directions. So today, we ask and answer a few questions. Why is this election important? Who are the key players? What is at stake? Press play!
Resources
Statistics of Voters IEBC Registered Voters Per Constituency 2017 Half of 19mn Kenyan voters are from Rift Valley, Eastern and Central 1,500 Kenyans in diaspora listed as voters Party primaries slotted for April as IEBC reviews timelines ahead of polls IEBC releases final new voters figures, Nairobi and Kiambu lead IEBC clears 914 candidates in first day of nominations IEBC campaign spending limits for candidates Know your new IEBC commissioners
This week, I share some interesting highlights from a daily writing experiment I'm running over at adventuresandexperiments.com where people send me writing prompts on issues that are of interest to them and I respond with my perspective. For example: What are your views regarding the criminalization of attempted suicide [in the Kenyan context]? Shouldn’t anyone choose if they want to die? Why do we need borders in today's society? Aren't we all the same people after all? Thoughts on Afropolitanism aka ugali fries, muratina mojitos etc? Press play! :)
Resources
#13: Should attempted suicide be decriminalized?
#9: Do we still need borders?
#21: Afropolitanism and the Gentrification of Food
Image credit
Yet again, because we are experiencing the effects of a drought, we have a food shortage, and food prices have gone up. 2 kilos of sugar are going for 400 shillings, and until very recently, 2 kilos of maize flour were retailing for 150 to 200 shillings. Recently, to reverse this, KRA lifted the import ban on maize, and opened a window for duty free imports of both yellow and white maize. The first shipment of the maize got here in record short time. People suspect that we are in the middle of yet another maize scandal, so we will talk about this entire event this week. Press play!
Resources
Episode 24: Drought Begins With You Episode 28: Why is Food So Expensive? Importation of maize is insufficient to address shortage What Kenya can do about the end of cheap ugali KRA opens window for maize imports Mexican maize was shipped from South Africa, says Transport PS Maize is from Mexico but was shipped from SA – Govt Imported maize ‘was surplus of old stock in South Africa’ Billionaire millers who shipped maize to Mombasa unmasked Kenya’s first major graft at independence was about maize Still Standing: Kenya's Slow Recovery From a Quadruple Shock [World Bank Report] Kenya lost Sh23b in maize scandal Image Credit
This past week has been a downer for me news-wise, what with the news that the US government (through USAID) is suspending its support of the Ministry of Health's departments due to corruption and weak accounting practices. This support is worth KES 2.1 billion, and affects crucial health services. We also found out that the Jubilee campaign has engaged Cambridge Analytica, a firm said to be behind Donald Trump's victory in the US and the Brexit vote in Britain. I've been asking myself: what does this mean? Press play to find out. Resources USAID suspends funding for health ministry departments United States Agency withdraws Sh2.1 billion health support Launch of $650 Million U.S. Government KEMSA Medical Commodities Program The #LipaKamaTender Movement What is 1.66 Billion? On Resistance Dear Uhuru Kenyatta The Anatomy of a Lootocracy Kenya at 52 Uhuru hires data firm behind Trump, Brexit victories Cambridge Analytica Explained: Data and Elections Trump Data Gurus Leave Long Trail of Subterfuge, Dubious Dealing The great British Brexit robbery: how our democracy was hijacked
This week, we’re gonna talk about Kenya’s middle class, or what I like to call Schrodinger’s middle class – you know, the guys powerful enough to cause the price fluctuation of goods through their tweets, while not being powerful enough at the ballot box to cause change through their votes. What is the middle class? Who is a middle class person? Why does this matter? Press play to find out! Resources Estimation of Size of the Middle Class and Main Characteristics Estimation of the Middle Class (short version) Why middle class Kenyans are living a lie East Africa’s growing middle class hits 29 million The historic roots of the middle class Kenya registers high income gap Number of Kenyan super earners shrinks as income gap grows Growth and the Middle Class The American Middle Class, Income Inequality, and the Strength of Our Economy Kenya's Gini Coefficient Kenya ranked sixth on extreme poverty index
This week, you guys wanted to talk about democracy and development from a Kenyan lens (to vote on what we discuss, follow us on Twitter @thisisotherwise, we run a poll each week). Is democracy the best form of government for countries like ours? Why is it that it is the form of government most associated with development? Is it because democracy is inherently and instrumentally good? Does democracy lead to development? And if so, how is Kenya doing on the democracy vs development scale, seeing as there is a positive correlation between wealth and democracy? Press play!
Resources
Aristotle's Political Theory Democracy and Development Analysing The Relationship Between Democracy And Development: Defining Basic Concepts And Assessing Key Linkages
One of the most iconic things to happen on our continent is when Thomas Sankara came to power and changed the name of Upper Volta to Burkina Faso - the land of upright men. How may we best carry out Sankara's vision for Africa? This week, I wish to share a pet topic of mine with you - the continuing debate on the role of Africanization and Decolonization on our lives. Are these two movements still relevant? Still necessary? Must we Africanize or decolonize, or must we do both? Press play!
Resources
Revisiting the debate on the Africanisation of higher education: an appeal for a conceptual shift Africanisation: A rich environment for active learning on a global platform The danger of a single story "Concerning Violence," by Frantz Fanon Mau Mau torture victims to receive compensation THE FINAL REPORT OF THE TRUTH JUSTICE AND RECONCILIATION COMMISSION OF KENYA (2013) Image credit
On March 31st 2017, a video went viral on social media of two men, said to be plainclothes policemen, having a scuffle with a young man. Shots are heard, and understandably there is screaming and scampering. Then, we see the young man on the ground. One of the men then shoots the young man again, and again. Then the video fades to black. In the days after, there was polarized debate on extrajudicial killing, with some people strongly supporting it, and others strongly condemning it. So we’ll talk about that in this episode. Press play! Resources Cops caught on camera killing suspected Eastleigh gang members Officer in alleged extrajudicial killing a ‘darling of residents’ Was Extra-Judicial Killing of Eastleigh 'Thugs' Justified? Kenyans Divided Police criticised as extrajudicial killings increase Amnesty report says Kenya tops Africa in extrajudicial killings Track, Capture, Kill: Inside Communications Surveillance and Counterterrorism in Kenya What Do We Tell the Families?: Killings and Disappearances in the Coastal Region of Kenya, 2012 - 2016 Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph Nkaissery reveals 90 deadly criminal gangs in Kenya
Kenya's longest serving Finance Cabinet Secretary (this position was formerly known as Finance Minister) read the budget statement for 2017/2018 on the 30th of March 2017. This is a special reading since it is this government's last budget in their first term, and this being an election year, there is a possibility that they may or may not be re-elected. It is also full of interesting-ness, in as far as budgets can be interesting, so we think it's a good idea to take a closer look at it. Press play!
Resources
Budget Statement for the Fiscal Year 2017/2018 Episode 24: Drought Begins With You Episode 28: Why is Food So Expensive? Episode 25: An Opposition Scorecard Episode 23: Fascism is The New Black Episode 31: The Political Con Episode 1: The Gambler
Like many other Kenyans, I find myself constantly wondering about the hold our political class has on us, and why they continue to hoodwink and oppress us with impunity and consistency. I have analyzed our systems, institutions and approach to governance for over five years in my work – yet somehow I still find myself coming back to this. This past week, my run in with a street con artist gave me insight as to how and why this happens. Press play!
Resources
The Confidence Game: Why We Fall for It . . . Every Time Can You Spot A Liar? Maria Konnikova on How we Get Conned Episode 27: How Do We Heal?
Last week, on March 18th 2017, Uhuru Kenyatta traveled to Dhobley Military camp in Somalia to visit the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) troops stationed there as part of the African Union (AU) peacekeeping mission stationed there. He wore his military fatigues (they come with his role as Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces). This happened just a few weeks after a US Congressman blew the whistle on a US$ 418 million arms deal that Kenya has with a US based company to buy 12 weaponized crop dusters and two other weapons that he claims involved faulty contracting practices, fraud and unfair treatment of Kenya. So this week, we talk about militarization and its dangers. Press play!
Resources
President Kenyatta commends KDF's efforts to boost security
10 Countries With The Fastest Growing Militaries
Why fishy smell on US arms deal just won’t go away
Militarism as a cause of World War 1
Rising Kenyan defence spending to hit $5.5 billion by 2018 How NYS will become 'social change army' My Land Is Not Kenya: The Folly Of Patriotism The Militarization of US Police Kenya defence forces arrive in Baragoi for disarmament exercise The Paradox of Government
This week, we begin to focus on our upcoming general election, starting with the political party nominations that are in the near future. Our representatives have been making many promises and inflammatory statements across the board, and there has also been a lot of party hopping. We take a look at why the nominations are so important, why there is so much party hopping, and what we can expect of the nominations. Press play!
Resources
Uhuru signs new law allowing politicians to merge parties
Basic requirements for political parties Elections Act
Election Laws (Amendment) Bill 2016
Political Parties Act
Political Parties (Amendment) Bill
This week, you guys said you wanted to talk about food inflation - that is, the increase in the prices of food in Kenya. Between February 2016 and February 2017, the cost of food and non alcoholic beverages has gone up by 16.5%. The cost of making a meal has gone up by as much as 30%, and this week, we ask why. Why is food so expensive, and what can be done to make sure that we reverse this trend? Press play! Resources Episode 24: Drought Begins With You Food Inflation in Sub-Saharan Africa: Causes and Policy Implications Kenya Inflation Rate Kenya Food Inflation Rate Consumer Price Indices and Inflation Rates for February 2017 Kenya ranked sixth on extreme poverty index Population living below $1.25 PPP per day (%) Forecasting and Monetary Policy Analysis in Low-Income Countries: Food and non-Food Inflation in Kenya
It's 2017, and the world feels like it's falling apart. The gains that we have made as a people feel like they are being erased - instead of love, acceptance and growth, we have hatred, intolerance and division. The fight against fascism, racism, sexism, homophobia and xenophobia feels like it's about to be lost. Is it too late? No, not if we arm ourselves with the right knowledge and tools, and fight against this wave. There is hope on the other end of this tunnel. Press play!
Resources
Winning Arguments: Interaction Dynamics and Persuasion Strategies in Good-faith Online Discussions How To Argue How To Change Someone’s Mind, According To Science The Audacity of Talking About Race With the Ku Klux Klan Every Racist I Know Voted for Donald Trump How Empathy Helps You Deal with Mean People Why Empathy Is Your Most Important Skill (and How to Practice It) Image Source
We made it to episode 26! That's half a year of podcasting guys, let's pat ourselves on the back! :D
This episode, I ran my first experiment. Recently, I sat down and a thought jumped into my mind - wouldn't it be nice if we (Kenyans) could map a course between where we are now as a country, and where we wanna be? And, wouldn't it be nice if this were a simple exercise that anyone could do in less than 3 minutes?
I wanted to know:
- If you could describe Kenya as it is now in 3 words, what would those words be? 2. If Kenya looked exactly as you'd like in a year, what 3 words would you use to describe it then? 3. In 3 words, how do we get from here to there?
This episode, we look at what you guys said! :) Press play! And, if you missed out on the experiment, not to worry, just share your thoughts in the comments below!
Resources
Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index 2016
World Happiness Report 2016
It's an election year, and that means that the usual suspects are jostling for your votes, and ultimately, power. In a lot of my work, I focus on governance and socio-cultural issues, and when it comes to governance, the spotlight is usually on the incumbent government. We are able to measure their effectiveness and performance based on the promises they made and the state of the country as is. But what about the opposition? How may we rate them? We answer this question today. Press play!
Resources
Effective Opposition Strategies: A Foundation for Improved Quality of Government Making Policy in Opposition What Makes for an Effective Leader of the Opposition?
Kenya is being ravaged by drought this year - this should not come as a surprise, since we are a drought prone country where 80% of the land is arid and semi arid. Yet, from the reaction of our government, you would think that the drought is indeed a surprise. So, this week, we look at the effects that drought has on our economy, and why our government should take it more seriously.
Resources
Drought conditions and management strategies in Kenya Hundreds of thousands face hunger in Kenya Drought in Kenya: Climatic, Economic and Socio-Political Factors WFP East & Central Africa Horn of Africa Drought Crisis Situation Report #01, 06 February 2017 National Drought Management Agency Drought in East Africa Drought in Kenya: A failure of both men and of systems Are Kenya ranch invasions driven by drought or politics? A review of droughts on the African continent: a geospatial and long-term perspective Climate Change, Environmental Threats, and Human Rights in Turkana County, Kenya Drought to intensify in Kenya in 2017, new early warning system shows Drought, hunger ravage five Coast counties Dropout rate likely to increase as hunger continues Number of Kenyans facing starvation rises by 1.4m
If it feels like we’re on the verge of the breakdown of democracy as we know it, it’s because we are. World over, it’s like the rug has been pulled from underneath our feet. Far right nationalism, racism, sexism, xenophobia, classism and other strata are being used to divide us. The word fascism is experiencing a resurgence - it keeps flying around, and not many people know exactly what it is. People are rebelling against it. But for Kenyans, this is nothing new. It’s just more pronounced now that everyone else is living how we've been living.
This week, we discuss the ins and outs of fascism, why it is so dangerous, and what you can do to stop it. Press play!
Resources
What is a fascist? Eternal Fascism: Fourteen Ways of Looking at a Blackshirt By Umberto Eco The Fascism Factory How to Listen to Authoritarians (Without Losing Your Mind) Episode 15: It’s President Trump! Europe's new fascism? The far-right leaders hoping to take power in 2017 The Militarization Of Kenya The Security Laws (Amendment) Bill 2014 Nyumba Kumi And Institutional Failure In Kenya How To Be A Kenyan Episode 22: 5 Myths About Voting On Voting Episode 14: Dear Kenyans The Rise and Rise of Nationalism Dear Uhuru Kenyatta Episode 18: Daima Kenya Flower Girls, Girlfriends and Sexist Discourse: The Politics of the Two-Thirds Gender Bill Why the World is on Fire Episode 21: #LipaKamaTender What Happens Now? Why Fascism Depends on Your Arrogance Interlude Music: Tawala Kenya: A Song by Mwalimu Thomas Wesonga
It's that time of the year again! Election season is upon us, and you know what this comes with - all manner of scaremongering to get you to register to vote, and vote for specific candidates. Some candidates will beg for your vote, others will ask, and others will lie and issue threats. This week, we explore popular myths around elections and voting in Kenya. Is it true that voting is your duty as a citizen? If you don't, do you have a right to complain? Press play!
Resources
On Voting
Political Rights
Voting is a right, but it’s not a duty
If you don’t vote, you still have every right to complain
There’s no such thing as a ‘wasted vote’
Why Do The Poor Vote For The Rich? Trump, Berlusconi, And The Empire Of Lies
Welcome to Kenya, where doctors signed a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with the Ministry of Health in 2013, and the employer has yet to register or implement it, yet we have enough money to grant our MPs a KES 36 billion send off package while claiming we have no money to pay the doctors. It has been 45 days since the strike began (however, this episode was recorded on day 43), and the government shows no sign of taking seriously the suffering that Kenyans have undergone because of their refusal to treat our healthcare providers like human beings.
This week, we speak with Dr. Judy Karagania, who takes us through the history of the CBA, what it means for them as doctors and for us as their patients, and how we can support them in their quest to improve our public healthcare. Press play!
Resources
Presspass: Are the doctors stubborn on the CBA issue or is the government insincere?
Musyimi Task Force Report
Collective Bargaining Agreement between KMPDU and the Ministry of Health
One Page Version of the CBA
We have 16 more days to the end of 2016 - congratulations on making it this far! Like most people, I am running a countdown, and looking back at the year that has been and taking stock of both the good and the bad times, and what I have learned. This episode, we do the same for Kenya - we take a look at the hilarious, the good, the bad, and the ugly. This is our last episode in 2016, so have a fantastic holiday friends, and see you all (hopefully) again in January!
Resources
How whistleblower's secret note to investors brought Chase Bank to its knees
Why Kenyan Banks Fail
Revealed: Taxpayers lose Sh5bn in NYS-style Afya House theft
Media players demand axing of Muraguri for threatening journalist over Sh5bn fraud
Imported mobile clinics lying at NYS yard
#LipaKamaTender
President Kenyatta rebukes agencies for failure to tame corruption
Dear Uhuru Kenyatta
Episode 5: Why Do We Hate Our Women?
Outrage Is The New Black: On Vera Sidika and The Campus Diva
{PHOTOS} Tanker explosion kills 40 along Nairobi-Nakuru Highway
Motorists blame Naivasha tragedy on irregularly erected bumps
Everlast • Naiboi • Kristoff - Gudi Gudi (Official Video)
Schools calendar overhauled in new war against exam cheating
CS Matiang’i reforms curb KCPE cheating
[VIDEO] Kenyans taking bribe money from a police officer
Police officers sacked for blocking Uhuru’s motorcade while allegedly taking bribe
#theTrend - Meet Akothee Kenya's richest musician
#TakeBackKenya
It's official - in what almost surely qualifies as a miracle, Yahya Jammeh, the dictator who has ruled The Gambia for 22 years, was voted out of power in a free and fair election, and Adama Barrow, the opposition coalition candidate, was voted in. What was even more surprising? Jammeh conceded defeat and said he would not be contesting the election result. Given that this happened just before Eduardo Dos Santos of Angola announced that he would not be running for president next year, I was prompted to ask what is going on with African dictators. Are we finally seeing the last of them? I hope so. Press play! Resources The marbles have spoken: Gambians party after voting out 22yr ruler in shock election upset Gambia president-elect Adama Barrow talks to Al Jazeera Gambia's Adama Barrow says shock win heralds 'new hope' The Gambia's Yahya Jammeh The Gambian Dictator Who Kills His Own Family Members To Stay In Power Witchcraft and execution: the darker side of Gambia Bitter medicine: how Gambian president claims to cure Aids Gambian President to Build Controversial Herbal Medicine Hospital for HIV Patients Gambia election: Government shuts down internet as President Yahya Jammeh faces threat to 22-year rule Gambia's president warns against protests after elections Gambia vote a roll of the marbles Gambians cast votes with marbles instead of ballots The Gambia: seven facts about the country leaving the Commonwealth The 7 worst things Gambia's president Yahya Jammeh has ever said about gay people Gambia’s president threatens to slit the throats of gay men
Many Kenyans will tell you that whenever they see our national flag, or hear the national anthem, they feel their hearts swell with pride. Why? Because the flag and our anthem make them feel patriotic - proud to be Kenyan. This is possibly what Boniface Mwangi, a well known activist, felt when he went to the cinema on 27th November 2016, only to look around and see some people not standing for the national anthem. So he yelled at them until they stood. I found this odd - so I decided to dissect this phenomena in this episode. Is patriotism a good or bad thing? Press play to find out!
Resources
Boniface Mwangi's Tweets
Constitution of Kenya - Chapter One - Sovereignty of the People and Supremacy of this Constitution Constitution of Kenya - Chapter Two - The Republic Nyumba Kumi And Institutional Failure In Kenya Corruption and Terror: Somali Community in Kenya Caught in the Crossfire What is Patriotism?
National Anthems: A Call to Arms
Notes on Nationalism
My Land Is Not Kenya: The Folly Of Patriotism
Image Credit: Pond5
Title Credit: Daima Kenya (a song by Eric Wainaina)
After the election of Donald Trump as the next president of the USA, many people have remarked that we are living in a post truth economy/post factual world - it doesn't matter what the facts present, it only matters what you believe, and how strongly you can get others to believe it too. It doesn't matter what the truth is. Which is why we have Trump and others denying climate change when it can easily be proven. How does this dynamic play out in Kenya? What does it mean for us in the run up to our 2017 general election? And, what can you do to nip it in the bud? Press play!
Resources
Episode 15: It's President Trump!
How Twitter bots played a role in electing Donald Trump
How Pro-Trump Twitter Bots Spread Fake News
How Twitter bots affected the US presidential campaign
How Teens In The Balkans Are Duping Trump Supporters With Fake News
Fake News in U.S. Election? Elsewhere, That’s Nothing New
Mark Zuckerberg Says Fake News On Facebook Didn’t Change The Election
This Analysis Shows How Fake Election News Stories Outperformed Real News On Facebook
Facebook’s design is quietly training us all to be conspiracy theorists
Facebook's New Plan to Deal With Fake News Is Too Vague and Too Late
Facebook and the Digital Virus Called Fake News
Image Credit: Cheerful Egg
Protests are a key part of democracy - they are a way for citizens to act directly to show their support or disapproval regarding a course of action, statement or thing. After Donald Trump was elected the 45th president of the USA, protests began, led by citizens who are against what he stands for. In Kenya, on 12th December 2016, we will be having the Take Kenya Back protest against the corruption that is destroying our country. So, I thought, why not talk about the how, when, where, why, who and what of protests? Press play!
Resources
Episode 15: It's President Trump! Episode 14: Dear Kenyans Weekend brings more anti-Trump protests across nation Protest in a liberal democracy The importance of protests Protest Movements as Political Strategy People protest for many reasons, yet we don’t know how effective protests are Protest is vital to a thriving democracy Take Back Kenya: Beyond Zero Corruption Image credit: Al Jazeera
I think I speak for many people when I say I'm relieved the US election is over - you couldn't look anywhere and fail to be bombarded by Trump vs Clinton news, and now, the forces of tribalism and prejudice have spoken - the US, and the rest of the world, shall endure a President Trump from next year onward, for four years! At this point, anyone speaking about what happens next will be conjecturing, but I am willing to join in speculating what this means for Kenya, and for Africa. Press play!
Resources
Donald Trump's Stunning Win
White and wealthy voters gave victory to Donald Trump, exit polls show
U.S. Dropped 23,144 Bombs on Muslim-Majority Countries in 2015
Slavoj Zizek on Clinton, Trump and the Left's Dilemma
The danger of America’s declining moral authority
White riot: How racism and immigration gave us Trump, Brexit, and a whole new kind of politics
What Donald Trump's presidency means for Africa
Europe in Crisis: The Elections to Watch for Political Risk
Image credit: Inverse
As you may know by now, we are in the throes of a new national scandal in which it is alleged that KES 5.3 billion was stolen from the Ministry of Health, based on an interim audit report that was obtained by the Nation Media Group. Scandals of this nature are not new to us - we have had the Goldenberg scandal, the Anglo Leasing Scandal and the NYS scandal - however, what is new this time is that we have decided to put our feet down, and hold our leaders accountable. This is a rallying cry. Let us come together and save our country. Press play.
Resources
Revealed: Taxpayers lose Sh5bn in NYS-style Afya House theft
Senior ministry official threatens reporter over stolen funds story
What is 1.66 Billion?
Dear Uhuru Kenyatta
The Blindspots of STEM-Focused Education Reform
The Anatomy of a Lootocracy
What Is The Value Of A Kenyan Life?
Kenya At 52
Each Kenyan owes the world Sh79,000, thanks to Jubilee's borrowing
A fifth of Kenya's budget committed to repaying loans
Anger as Kabura Fails to Answer Sh1.6bn NYS Scandal Query By MPs
Beyond Zero Corruption [Facebook]
Kenya Beyond Zero [Twitter]
What Makes Countries Corrupt?
Pyramid schemes seem to be back in fashion, with Russian fraudster Sergey Mavrodi having brought his Mavrodi Mondial Moneybox (or, MMM Global) to Kenya with a serious recruitment offensive. It's as if Kenyans never learn! We've seen this before with Deci, where thousands of people lost billions of shillings. So why are people buying into MMM Global? We dig into it this episode. Press play!
Resources
Don't Get Caught in a Pyramid Scheme I lost Sh31m and brother to the pyramid schemes How the masterminds of pyramid schemes duped thousands into parting with their money 26,000 pyramid scheme victims sue for lost cash Russian fraudster sets up pyramid scheme in Kenya
In what is a rare occurrence in Kenya, the people and their legislators have agreed on something: we have too many elected officials, especially the Members of Parliament (that is, Senators and Members of the National Assembly), and MCAs (Members of the County Assembly). These excess representatives have bloated our wage bill to a point where it is unsustainable – we have to borrow to pay bills, not even to develop. This has to change. This week, we explore the possibilities: how can we reduce these numbers? What impact would this have on our country? How do we go about it? Press play! Resources Audit calls for reduction of MPs, MCAs Ouko team wants MPs’ pay cut to below Sh1m New push to reduce MPs, sack civil servants Kenya Government Debt to GDP TSC, Devolution Drive Public Wage Bill Rise Kenya GDP Kenya GDP Annual Growth Rate Each Kenyan owes the world Sh79, 000, thanks to Jubilee's borrowing A fifth of Kenya's budget committed to repaying loans MPs pay increase raises Parliament wages by Sh2bn Does Kenya have too many MPs? Women Contributions in Parliament The More the Merrier? Choosing the optimal number of representatives in modern democracies Secondary Education to Be Free in 2019 Image Credit: Tavaana.Org
Everyone's favourite public servant, Ezekiel Mutua, was back in the news this week as he proposed a Bill that would enable him (and his friends at the Kenya Film Classification Board) to regulate, control and censor basically everything in the country. Ezekiel is nothing if not ambitious, we guess. Is he the Kenyan Donald Trump? This week, we take a peek into the (possible) thoughts of Ezekiel - the banner in chief - and see what it means for us as moving forward. Press play! :)
Resources
#StopTheFilmBill
Films, Stage Plays and Publications Draft Bill
Why Kenya banned 'The Wolf of Wall street'
Ezekiel Mutua Appointed As New CEO of Kenya Film Classification Board
Ezekiel Mutua: Unmasking Kenya's morality police
7 Banned TV Adverts That Are “Pornographic In Nature"
Ezekiel Mutua bans 'girls only' party, terms it 'orgy of lesbians'
We can block Netflix for inappropriate content - Kenyan films board
National values and principles of governance
Google is hosting Kenya’s most notorious anti-LGBT official at a conference in California
Immigration Department's statement on Ezekiel Mutua's diplomatic passport
Film board chief faults move to revoke diplomatic passport
Meet ‘Nollywood’: The second largest movie industry in the world
Democracy and the Demagogue
Road safety has been on the tip of our tongues and the top of our minds after a matatu (KCG 748M) serving the Ongata Rongai route crashed in late September killing four people on the spot and injuring six others. We protested online and offline, the NTSA, Ongata Line Transporters Company and the police engaged in finger pointing, and we yet again found ourselves asking the question we've asked so many times before: what is wrong with Kenyan roads, and can it be fixed? We explore that this week. Press play!
Resources
Four killed in Langata Road matatu accident
Ongata Line Sacco banned over Sunday accident
Multimedia University students block road in protest after accident
Rongai residents march to protest reckless driving
Pedestrian killed by school bus as residents prepare to march to Lang'ata Road
Driver of killer Rongai matatu slapped with multiple charges
Umoinner Sacco bus crash claims 10 lives
Killer Umoinner Sacco fleet licences revoked
National Transport and Safety Authority
World Health Organization: Global status report on road safety 2015
NTSA targets private cars as Saturdays death toll rises
Image credit: Wambururu's Blog
The Federation of Women Lawyers, better known as FIDA Kenya, has been in the news lately for its petition to the courts to have matrimonial property split 50-50 upon the dissolution of a marriage, and to have sections of the Matrimonial Property Act (2013) declared unconstitutional. They have been called malicious and greedy, and been accused of trying to commercialize marriage. This week, we find out whether this is true. Press play!
Resources
FIDA Kenya's Petition
Married Women's Property Act, 1882
Matrimonial Property Act, 2013
The Constitution of Kenya, 2010
The Marriage Act, 2014
Outrage Is The New Black: On Vera Sidika and The Campus Diva
The ride hailing/taxi app market in Nairobi, and the rest of Kenya, seems to be the in-thing right now for multinational and local organizations, attracting an ever-growing list of players – Uber, Little, Sendy, Mondo Ride, Taxify among others. The most dominant operator at the moment, Uber, seems to be learning the hard way about the peculiarities of this market – they slashed their rates dramatically and now the customer experience has deteriorated. We talk about that this week – should Uber have slashed their rates? And, if this was a mistake, what should they do next? Press play.
Resources
Why Taxi Apps are the Next Big Thing in Nairobi’s Move Forward
The battle for Kenya – Uber vs. Easy Taxi
Uber in Kenya is upsetting the taxi industry?
Twitter feud over Uber in Kenya
Easy Taxi opts out of Kenya, Africa after common investor leans towards rival Uber
Easy Taxi Leaving Kenya, Africa after Stiff Competition from Rival Uber
Uber and Little Cabs battle to control the streets of Nairobi
Safaricom’s Little Cab triggers price war with Uber
The Little Chance for Safaricom’s Little Cab
Uber slashes taxi charges by 35pc in Nairobi
Uber taxi fare cut triggers drivers’ go-slow in Nairobi
Uber guarantees drivers peak-hour pay after price cut
Jewels’ Nasty Experiences with Uber
Complaints about poor service on Uber from Kenyans
Uber’s Response after Their Driver Was Accused of Stealing from a Client at JKIA
Nairobi taxi drivers are trying to shut down Uber with protests and intimidation
Uber Drivers in Nairobi Discover Not All Taxi Drivers Welcome Competition
Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, recently visited Kenya and Nigeria in what was his first visit to the continent. He hung out with start-up founders, spent time at hubs in both countries, walked (and jogged) around without security, ate with his hands, did not post white-saviour-type things on his Facebook page, and caused a media stir for more or less behaving like a normal person. This week, we look at his visit, what it means for African countries, and Facebook's possible agenda for the continent.
Resources
Mark Zuckerberg makes first-ever visit to Sub-Saharan Africa
Zuckerberg backs Andela, a startup more elite than Harvard
Open Letter to Mark Zuckerberg Regarding Internet.org, Net Neutrality, Privacy, and Security
Internet.org
Facebook’s Internet.org Isn’t the Internet, It’s Facebooknet
What Mark Zuckerberg didn’t say about Internet.org
Free Basics protects net neutrality [Op-ed by Zuckerberg]
Dear Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook is not, and should not be the internet
Here’s How Free Basics Is Actually Being Sold Around The World
Save The Internet
Telecom Regulatory Authority of India: Consultation Paper on Differential Pricing for Data Services
TRAI: Letter to Facebook
After 16 years and three failed attempts at passing a bill to cap interest rates in Kenya, former MP Joe Donde's dream has now become a reality. This week, we take a look at the Banking Amendment Act 2015, what it has changed about our banking and financial industry, the critique that has been leveled against it, and the possible outcomes moving forward.
Resources
The Banking (Amendment) Bill, 2015
Donde happy after MPs pass bill to cap interest rates
Larry Liza's Viral Facebook Post
Controlling Interest: Are Ceilings On Interest Rates a Good Idea?
The Impact of Interest Rate Ceilings on Microfinance
Consider pros and cons of interest rates cap before passing banking Bill in haste
The Impact of Capping Interest Rates on the Kenyan Economy
Kenya should prepare for crisis and economic slowdown after capping interest rates
2015 Economic Survey Report Highlights
2014 Economic Survey Report Highlights
Image credit
The oppression of women in Kenya, and worldwide, has become a frequent topic of discussion, with the advent of universal human rights, and with women being clearly oppressed in their societies via female genital mutilation, lack of education, early childhood marriage, denial of property rights, sexual violence, street and sexual harassment, among many others. Which begs the question: why do we hate our women? And, if we don't (the evidence says otherwise), what can we do about it? We explore that this week.
Resources
Battered woman says why she remained in abusive marriage
The question to ask is why does a man abuse the woman he loves
Why Women Stay: The Paradox of Abusive Relationships
Behind the Veil: Inside the Mind of Men "That Abuse"
#WhyIStayed: How some churches support spousal abuse
All Animals Are Equal
When a Rapist's Weapon Is a Drug
I Just Wanted To Go Home
Silence Is a Woman
Even The Streets Aren’t Safe
Nairobi County Governor, Evans Kidero, recently said that to eliminate the effects of voter importation into the county, people with muddy or dusty shoes would not be allowed into polling stations during the 2017 General Elections. Naturally, this made me want to assess Nairobi under his tenure - are all roads really tarmacked? Are we living in a modern-day metropolis? We find out this episode.
Resources
Kidero vows to block ‘imported’ voters in city election
What Is A Road ? Kenyans On Twitter Are Mapping Out Potholes
Kidero: Nairobi Has Improved Under My Reign
Sh18 billion wage bill to blame for Nairobi's slow growth - Kidero
Rachel Shebesh slapped after scuffle in Governor Kidero's office
Kidero in fist fight with Sonko after 'murderer' claim during Senate grilling
Governor Kidero in trouble as MCAs refuse to pass Budget
Nairobi MCAs pass budget after Kidero caves in to demands
This has been such a cringe worthy Summer Olympics for Kenya - it seems like every other day we get embarrassing news. Why are we like this? Listen to this episode to find out.
Resources
Julius Yego's Plane Ticket to Rio Goes Missing The Scandal of Kenya's Rio Olympics
Rio 2016: Olympics hit by new doping scandal over bribery allegations against Kenya track and field chief
Rio 2016: Kenyan coach and 800m runner facing IOC disciplinary proceedings over claims of drug testing scandal
Kipchoge Keino receives historic Olympic Laurel award
Kenya faces fresh anti-doping crisis following surprise Wada move
Rio 2016: Kenya removed from World Anti-Doping Agency's 'non-compliant' list
William Ruto travels to Rio to boost athletes’ morale
Today on the show we discuss school fires in Kenya - since June 2016 over 120 schools have had their property burned by students. Why? And, what can we do? Resources
Students, Arson, and Protest Politics in Kenya: School Fires as Political Action
St. Patrick's Iten School On Fire
CS Matiang’i presents report on school fires to Senate committee
Education Stakeholders Hold Consultative Meetings Over School Fires
President Uhuru's message on the ongoing school fires in Kenya's schools
I've always been interested in understanding, and perhaps changing, the nature of Kenya through my work, which until now has consisted of writing and speaking. This has been edifying, but I've come to appreciate how hard it is to keep up with. Every week there is something new to expose, learn or discover, and unless your line of work requires that you keep updated, it becomes difficult to do so.
So I thought, what if there was a place we could go and ask whatever we want, and have it explained to us in a succinct way, while not being too reductive - avoiding a lecture, and gaining a perspective that was outside that on mainstream traditional and new media? Then I asked myself, what if I built that place? So I did.
Welcome to Otherwise, a weekly show that will explore Kenyan current affairs issues as chosen by you.
This week's episode looks into the sports betting fad that has taken over Kenya, asking - is it really that bad for us, and if it is, how can we make it better?
Resources:
Sunday Nation: It's a Gambling Nation