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 »
February 08, 2023
Kenya: Kenya's President Wants Taxes to Replace Foreign Debt - Seven Ways to Get There
In the run-up to Kenya's 2022 polls, economic issues, particularly public debt and joblessness, took centre stage. The Kenya Kwanza team led by William Ruto suggested that Kenya… Read more »
February 02, 2023
Kenya: The Body Choosing Kenya's Election Commission Is Being Overhauled - How This Could Strengthen Democracy
Kenya has new rules for choosing the people who run its elections. Read more »
February 01, 2023
Kenya: George Magoha Was a Force for Better Education in Kenya. but He Had His Flaws
The death of former Kenyan education minister Professor George Magoha, 71, closes a vibrant chapter in education policymaking and leadership. It was a chapter marked by unmatched… Read more »
January 26, 2023
Kenya: A Major New Exhibition in Nairobi Reveals the History of East African Art Traditions
Mwili, Akili na Roho (Body, Mind and Spirit) - on in Nairobi, Kenya - is a major international exhibition presenting east African painters who are key players in the modernist art… Read more »
January 23, 2023
Kenya: Prisoners On Death Row Weren't Deterred By Threat of Death Penalty - New Research Findings
Kenya's last execution of a prisoner was in 1987. But the country still hosts a death row population of nearly 600. Almost all were sentenced to death for murder or robbery with… Read more »
January 18, 2023
Kenya: School Reform Is Entering a New Phase in 2023 - but the Country Isn't Ready
The start of the 2023 school year in Kenya marks an important occasion: the first cohort of pupils to adopt a new curriculum in 2017 are entering junior secondary school. Read more »
January 16, 2023
Kenya: Kenya's Rift Valley Lakes Are Rising, Putting Thousands At Risk - We Now Know Why
The East African Rift Valley sits between the Afar Triangle in Ethiopia and Mozambique. Within it lie a series of freshwater and alkaline lakes organised like a string of pearls. Read more »
January 14, 2023
Africa: Why Cholera Continues to Threaten Many African Countries
Malawi is facing its worst cholera outbreak in two decades. The outbreak started early in 2022 and has, so far, resulted in over 18,000 cases and the loss of 750 lives. It's also… Read more »
January 09, 2023
Africa: Invasive Rats Are Changing Fish Behaviour On Coral Reefs - New Study
Coral reefs are degrading rapidly to the extent that their marine inhabitants must either adapt or die. For many animals, including reef fish, behaviour is one of the first… Read more »
January 10, 2023
Kenya: Kenya and South Africa Are Working to Address Trade Barriers - Where to Start
Trade volumes between Kenya and South Africa have always been minimal compared to each country's engagement with its other major trading partners. But in recent years, leaders of… Read more »
December 21, 2022
Kenya: Female Genital Mutilation Rates Peak During School Holidays - an Alternative Option Offers a Solution
Female genital mutilation is a practice deeply rooted in cultural traditions around the world. The World Health Organisation defines it as comprising all procedures that involve… Read more »
December 15, 2022
Kenya: Many Kenyans Have Embraced Vigilante Cops - An Ineffective Police Force Is to Blame
In March 2017, Ahmed Rashid, a Kenyan police officer, shot and killed two unarmed teenagers accused of theft. They had surrendered and were lying on the ground in a Nairobi… Read more »
December 14, 2022
Kenya: Four Essential Reads On a Year of Political Drama and Economic Hardships
The year 2022 was always going to be an eventful one. After nearly 10 years in power, President Uhuru Kenyatta was destined to leave office to make way for the winner of the August… Read more »
November 29, 2022
Kenya: 6 Priorities to Get Kenya's Curriculum Back On Track - or Risk Excluding Many Children From Education
Kenya's education curriculum was reformed in 2017 to improve its quality - but now many Kenyans are calling for change again. Public disillusionment with the competency-based… Read more »
November 24, 2022
Kenya: Al-Shabaab - Sensational Media Reports About Terror Attacks Keep Kids Out of School
Sensational reporting on terror attacks in Kenya is keeping children out of school, with dire consequences for their education and their futures. Read more »
Kenya: Community Wildlife Conservation Isn't Always a Win-Win Solution - The Case of Kenya's Samburu
Community-based wildlife conservation is often promoted as a win-win solution. The idea behind this approach is that the people who live close to wildlife can be involved in… Read more »
November 11, 2022
Kenya: Presidential Term Limits Will Be Hard to Scrap - Here's What It Would Take
A member of parliament in Kenyan president William Ruto's governing coalition created a firestorm by suggesting that there was a plan to remove presidential term limits in the… Read more »
November 09, 2022
Kenya: Kenya Violence - 5 Key Drivers of the Decades-Long Conflict in the North and What to Do About Them
Conflict and insecurity are prevalent in northern Kenya. In recent weeks, cases of bandit attacks in the region have left villages terrorised and led to several deaths. In October… Read more »
November 10, 2022
Kenya: Kenya Standard Gauge Railway Contracts - What Released Documents Say, and What They Don't
A media frenzy has erupted in Kenya over the November 5, 2022 release of three Chinese loan contracts signed between the Kenyan government and China Export Import Bank (Eximbank),… Read more »
November 01, 2022
Kenya: Digital Solutions Are Boosting Agriculture in Kenya, but It's Time to Scale Up. Here's How
Digital agricultural services have proliferated across Africa over the last decade. Most are services that work on mobile phones, although more advanced technologies are in use too… Read more »
October 31, 2022
Kenya: Police Killings Point to Systemic Rot and a Failed Justice System
Barely a month into office, President William Ruto of Kenya ordered the disbandment of a special police unit placed at the centre of a widening investigation into a wave of… Read more »
October 26, 2022
Kenya: Kenya Has Lifted Its Ban On Genetically Modified Crops - the Risks and Opportunities
Kenya recently lifted a ban on the cultivation and importation of genetically modified crops amid the worst drought in 40 years and soaring food prices. This includes white maize,… Read more »
Kenya: Covid and Health Workers' Strike - How Kenya's Health Services Coped in Times of Crisis
When epidemics break out and public health emergencies are declared, people shy away from seeking care for other conditions. This may seem counter-intuitive at first glance. But it… Read more »