June 15, 2023
Kenya: Mama Ngina Kenyatta At 90 - the Quiet Power Behind Kenya's Famous Political Family
Few witnessed the building of the young Kenyan state from within as did Ngina Kenyatta, the widow of Kenya's first president, Jomo Kenyatta. Mama Ngina, as she is known, will mark… Read more »
June 13, 2023
Kenya: Kenya's Budget Doesn't Allocate Funds for New Education Initiatives - This Will Stall Innovation in the Country
President William Ruto's first budget for Kenya sets no education priorities. The Finance Bill 2023 doesn't make it clear what Kenya is trying to achieve - stronger foundational… Read more »
June 12, 2023
Kenya: Kenya's First Budget Under Ruto - Three Experts Review Its Key Points
President William Ruto's first budget comes to the national assembly on 15 June against the backdrop of massive public debt and public disquiet over high inflation. The KSh3.663… Read more »
June 09, 2023
Kenya: New Spy Chief Will Lead the National Intelligence Service - What the Job Is All About
Kenya's President William Ruto recently nominated a new national intelligence chief. Breaking with tradition, the president picked a career intelligence officer, Noordin Haji. Read more »
June 08, 2023
Kenya: Kenya's Opposition Wants to Split Up the Country - but Secession Calls Seldom Succeed
Kenya's opposition politicians recently called for secession - which is the withdrawal of territory and sovereignty from part of an existing state to create a new state. Led by… Read more »
May 31, 2023
Kenya: How the British Used Street Names to Show Colonial Power
Place names, along with other urban symbols, were used as a tool of control over space in many African countries during the colonial period. This strategy was epitomised by the… Read more »
May 29, 2023
Kenya: China in Africa - Kenya Railway Study Shows Investment Projects Aren't a One-Way Street
China is an important economic player in Africa. In 2021 alone, China accounted for nearly US$5 billion in foreign direct investment in African countries. The rapidly increasing… Read more »
May 21, 2023
Africa: Grand Infrastructure Projects Aren't a Magic Bullet for Industrial Development - Insights From Ghana and Kenya
The African Union's flagship Agenda 2063 initiative prioritises large-scale infrastructure development and promises to "link the continent by rail, road, sea and air". Read more »
May 18, 2023
Kenya: Baboon Bonds - New Study Reveals That Friendships Make Up for a Bad Start in Life
Childhoods can predict a great deal about how adult lives might play out. For instance, research has shown that people whose childhoods involve poverty, abuse and neglect have… Read more »
May 16, 2023
Kenya: Kenya's Political Elites Switch Parties With Every Election - How This Fuels Violence
Barely seven months after leaving office, Kenya's former president Uhuru Kenyatta is battling to keep together the party that won him a second term and a majority in parliament in… Read more »
May 08, 2023
Kenya: Kenya's Starvation Cult Left Hundreds Dead - a Psychologist's View On How to Support People As They Process Tragedy
In early April 2023, Kenyan police discovered a mass grave linked to a Pentecostal church in the coastal town of Malindi. By the end of the month, at least 110 bodies had been dug… Read more »
May 09, 2023
Kenya: Kenya Cult Deaths - a New Era in the Battle Against Religious Extremism
More than a hundred people in Kenya - among them children - have been found dead close to a small village in the south-east of the country. It's believed that most of the deceased… Read more »
May 08, 2023
Kenya: Kenya's Starvation Cult Left Over 100 Dead - a Psychologist's View On How to Support People As They Process Tragedy
In early April 2023, Kenyan police discovered a mass grave linked to a Pentecostal church in the coastal town of Malindi. By the end of the month, at least 110 bodies had been dug… Read more »
May 04, 2023
Kenya: Kenya Banned Plastic Bags 6 Years Ago, but They Are Still in Use - What Went Wrong
Kenya banned the use of plastic carrier bags in 2017, prompted by environmental and health costs. At the time, more than 100 million single-use plastic bags were handed out every… Read more »
May 02, 2023
Kenya: Supreme Court Ruling On Gay Rights Triggers a New Wave of Anger Against the LGBTIQ+ Community
The Kenyan supreme court recently struck down a government decision to ban the registration of an LGBTIQ+ community rights organisation, sparking new homophobic rhetoric in the… Read more »
May 01, 2023
Kenya: Flawed Missionary System in Kenya Highlighted by Abuse Conviction
Matthew Durham, a young missionary from Oklahoma, was convicted in 2015 of raping three girls and molesting a boy at the Upendo Children's Home. He had volunteered at the Kenyan… Read more »
April 23, 2023
Kenya: Kenya Needs to Grow More Food - A Focus On How to Irrigate Its Vast Dry Areas Is Key
More than 80% of Kenya's land mass is made up of arid and semi-arid areas. So, if Kenya is to increase its agricultural production, which currently accounts for 22.4% of GDP, it… Read more »
April 18, 2023
Kenya: Kenya Should Decriminalise Homosexuality - 4 Compelling Reasons Why
Kenya has recently seen the increasing visibility of sexual and gender minorities. However, this has been met with a growing backlash. Read more »
April 16, 2023
Kenya: From Advertising Blackmail to Physical Threats, Journalists Are Under Attack but Must Also Regain Public Trust
In recent months, Kenyan journalists have been harassed, intimidated and attacked by government officials, politicians and members of the public. George Ogola, a professor of media… Read more »
April 03, 2023
Kenya: Mass Protests Have a Long and Rich History - But Have Been Hijacked By the Elites
Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga and his coalition party, Azimio la Umoja-One Kenya, recently called for mass protests across the country. Odinga and his team have questioned… Read more »
March 21, 2023
Kenya: Pastoralists Suffer Despite Millions of Dollars Used to Protect Them From Drought - What Went Wrong?
Across the arid landscape of northern Kenya, roadside signs proclaim projects aimed at creating "resilience" among pastoralist communities. This is a region where frequent… Read more »
March 20, 2023
Kenya: Kenya's Police Are Violent, Unaccountable and Make Most Citizens Feel Less Safe - Should They Be Abolished?
A world without the police is inconceivable to many people. The police are viewed as part of modern society's foundation, ensuring democracy and keeping people safe. Read more »
March 16, 2023
Kenya: Kenya Introduced Free Maternal Health Services a Decade Ago - It's Been a Success, Saving Lives
Maternal and newborn deaths are a major public health problem in Kenya. In 2020 the maternal mortality ratio was 530 deaths per 100,000 live births. This is much higher than the… Read more »
March 09, 2023
Kenya: Kenya's First Skyscraper Closes - and Leaves a Complicated Legacy
The Hilton Hotel was one of Nairobi's first skyscrapers. The iconic cylindrical tower was opened in 1969 by President Jomo Kenyatta, six years after Kenya's independence from… Read more »
March 07, 2023
Kenya: A New Invasive Mosquito Has Been Found in Kenya - What This Means for Malaria Control
The Kenya Medical Research Institute recently detected an invasive mosquito species in Laisamis and Saku subcounties of Marsabit county in Kenya's northern region. Read more »