A Nigerian’s public outcry against graft is proportional to distance to dabble in it
On June 13, 1988, Pini Jason Onyegbaduo (1948 – 2013), a popular Nigerian columnist, propounded a “Hypothesis of Corruption.” The hypothesis was intellectually articulated in the now-defunct THISWEEK newsmagazine. But unknown to Pini Jason, he had developed what would become known as the “Jason’s Law of Corruption.” The “Law” would...
Market oriented horticultural smallholder farmers hit it big
Potato farming, among other horticultural crops, is the mainstay for farmers at Mwendi Kurima Cooperative Society in Engineer Town, Nyandarua County. Initially started as a self-help group by 13 farmers, Mwendi Kurima Group, whose membership currently stands at 350, it has weathered many storms over the years to become one...
Fishermen want Kenya, Uganda to resolve marine resources dispute
Fishermen in western Kenya county of Migori have petitioned Kenya and Uganda to agree on how to settle a protracted marine resources dispute over fishing boundaries. Lake Victoria, the second largest freshwater lake in the world is a source of livelihood for more than 10 million people in Kenya, Tanzania,...
How geothermal energy powers farming in the heart of Rift Valley
Erratic weather and a burgeoning population that requires food employment is an ever-ticking time bomb. Nakuru, once synonymous with commercial agriculture and industrialisation in Kenya has over the years slipped down the rung, now needs rejigging to breathe new life into the once cleanest town in East Africa. Endowed with...
Climate change threatens coffee production in Africa
Coffee farmer, Francois Dadi Serikpa from Gnamagnoa in Côte d’Ivoire, joined Nestlé’s Nescafé Plan 10 years ago. The coffee farms that had been in his family for generations were producing poor yields, making it hard for him to earn a good living to care for his family. Under the plan,...
Vegetal therapy still trusted antivenom in Kenya
Poor and often stashed far away from medical facilities, pastoralist communities in Kenya’s arid and semi-arid regions have over generations depended on vegetal remedies for envenomation. With decentralisation of medical services seven years ago, regional governments in the devolved units are stocking antivenom to deal with the menace that has...
The Democratic Republic of the Congo: A change of perspective on Africa’s problem child
Every time I take an Uber, the first topic of small talk is what my roots are. The reactions that I am half German and half Congolese differ greatly between Europe and Africa. Typically, when I mention the DRC in Berlin, I get the following response: a compassionate look and...
‘Let’s endure the pain,’ CJ Maraga says as he advises Kenya president to dissolve parliament
Kenya’s Chief Justice David Maraga has kicked up a political storm after he asked President Uhuru Kenyatta to dissolve the country’s parliament for failing to enact laws to end discrimination of women in appointive and elective positions. Justice Maraga, who seen as a paragon of the rule of law since...
Two-thirds gender rule: Is Parliament the proverbial punching bag?
Article 27(8) of the Constitution of Kenya 2010 provides that the state shall take steps to ensure that not more than two-thirds of members of all elective and appointive positions are not of the same gender. Ten years after the promulgation of the Constitution of Kenya 2010, there is yet...
Africa in race to secure 220m coronavirus vaccine doses
While the race to find safe and effective Covid-19 vaccines continues, African countries are signing up to a ground-breaking initiative, which aims to secure at least 220 million doses of the vaccine for the continent, once licensed and approved. All 54 countries on the continent have expressed interest in Covax,...
