June 28, 2022
Kenya: The Art of Bribery - a Closeup Look At How Traffic Officers Operate On Kenya's Roads
A first-time driver on Kenyan roads is likely to think that commercial and passenger service vehicles are highly regulated. Drivers are frequently stopped by police officers, who… Read more »
June 27, 2022
South Africa: Kenya and South Africa Offer Insights into Digital Economy Challenges and Alternatives
The World Bank is warning of the real danger of a massive economic downturn across the world. In a recent analysis it warned that many countries - including those in sub-Saharan… Read more »
June 26, 2022
East Africa: Is Eastern Africa's Drought the Worst in Recent History? And Are Worse Yet to Come?
Large areas of Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya are currently in the grip of a severe drought. An estimated 16.7 million people face acute food insecurity. That's more than the combined… Read more »
June 23, 2022
Rwanda: Kinyafranglais - How Rwanda Became a Melting Pot of Official Languages
Today, Rwanda is a melting pot of official languages. Although more than 99% of Rwandans speak Kinyarwanda - a Bantu language and the country's mother-tongue - Rwanda has three… Read more »
Kenya: How Degree Requirement for Top Political Posts Turned Into a Fiasco
The rush for academic credentials is nothing new ahead of a Kenyan election. Candidates are challenged about the existence or validity of their university degrees, and controversy… Read more »
June 22, 2022
Kenya: How Nairobi Police Failures Let People Get Away With Murder
At least one person gets killed every two days in Kenya's capital city, Nairobi. Most of these cases either go unreported or are never resolved. Only 94 murder cases were… Read more »
June 21, 2022
Somalia: No Time for Complacency - Somalia's Unfolding Famine Catastrophe
Somalia is on the brink of catastrophe. A recent assessment suggests that 7.7 million Somalis need emergency aid right now, a similar number to those affected by the Ethiopian… Read more »
June 19, 2022
Africa: Why Commonwealth Summit in Kigali Won't Be the Relaunch Some Hope For
Leaders of some 54 countries - from Africa, Europe, Asia and Southern America - are set to converge on Kigali between 20 June and 25 June 2022 for the Commonwealth Heads of… Read more »
June 16, 2022
Uganda: What the 100-Year-Old Makerere University in Uganda Reveals About Culture
Makerere University, which marks its centenary this year, is well-known as the oldest university in East Africa and as a cradle of political elites. Its alumni include presidents… Read more »
June 09, 2022
Kenya: Drama That Shaped Ngugi's Writing and Activism Comes Home to Kenya
As Kenya marked its 59th anniversary of internal self-rule on 1 June 2022, a controversial play by the nation's foremost author, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, was staged in sold-out shows.… Read more »
June 07, 2022
East Africa: Four Novelists, One Ocean - How Indian Ocean Literature Can Remap the World
Novels make worlds. They create an intuitive sense and mental image of a place. And the senses of space produced by fiction shape how readers see the world itself, just like maps… Read more »
June 06, 2022
Somalia: Election Was Different - Why That's Not Necessarily a Bad Thing
At the end of a tough electoral process marked by intensified violence, Somalia has a new president. Read more »
June 03, 2022
Uganda: Martyrs' Day - How Life in Uganda Today Mirrors the Dark Old Days of Kabaka
Martyrs' Day in Uganda commemorates the bold decision of some early converts to Christianity to give up their lives for the sake of the gospel. The day, marked on 3 June every year… Read more »
June 02, 2022
Kenya: People Will Continue to Die of Rabies If Kenya Doesn't Educate Healthcare Workers
Rabies - a viral disease spread through an animal bite - has had an effective vaccine for more than a century. Yet people continue to die from it. Rabies kills nearly every known… Read more »
June 01, 2022
Kenya: Push for Affordable Housing Is Creating Opportunities Despite Barriers
In Kenya, the right to housing is embedded in the constitution, which provides that "Every person has the right to accessible and adequate housing, and to reasonable standards of… Read more »
Southern Africa: Enforcing Competition Would Ease Food Price Hikes in East and Southern Africa
Small and medium-scale farmers and agri-businesses in east and southern Africa are getting a raw deal. To succeed they need fair and integrated regional markets. Research by the… Read more »
May 31, 2022
Kenya: Political Debates in Kenya - Are They Useful or Empty Media Spectacles?
It is a few months to Kenya's August 2022 general election. That means it is time for the theatrical, skeleton-revealing spectacle also known as the political debate. Read more »
Somalia: Somalia's Election Raises More Questions Than Answers
Somalia now has a new parliament - and a president elected by its 329 lawmakers. This followed more than a year's delay. Read more »
May 30, 2022
Kenya: How 'Patriotic' Choral Music Has Been Used to Embed a Skewed Version of History
Choral music - patriotic choral music in particular - is a significant genre in Kenya's political history. Read more »
East Africa: What U.S. Re-Entry Into Somalia Means for the Horn of Africa and for Bigger Powers
The US has announced it will resume a limited military presence in Somalia. The former administration withdrew troops from the country in 2020. The mission of the American soldiers… Read more »
May 29, 2022
Somalia: U.S. Will Soon Redeploy Troops in Somalia - the Mission and Key Goals
The Biden administration in the US recently announced it would be providing a "persistent presence" in Somalia of up to "around 450" US soldiers, reversing a decision taken by US… Read more »
May 27, 2022
Somalia: Somalia's New President Hassan Sheikh - His Strengths and Weaknesses
Somalia has a new president. Hassan Sheikh Mohamud beat the incumbent Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo in a long-delayed election. It's not Hassan Sheikh Mohamud's first stint as leader,… Read more »
May 26, 2022
Kenya: Climate Change Isn't a Priority for Universities. It Should Be
Universities can play a vital role in shaping change in societies. They produce knowledge through research, train future decision makers, and contribute to public awareness of… Read more »
May 24, 2022
Rwanda: Commonwealth in Kigali - Another Chance for Rwanda's Kagame to Project Soft Power
Rwanda is getting its turn to host the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting from 20 June to 25 June 2022. The grouping of former imperialist Britain power plus its dismantled… Read more »
May 22, 2022
Uganda: Museveni's First Son Muhoozi - Clear Signals of a Succession Plan
On 8 March 2022, Ugandan politics was sent into a spin by 49 words tweeted by President Yoweri Museveni's only son, Lt Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba. Read more »