US midterms: Why are pollsters getting the stick after years of seeming to hold elections trump card?
It’s said to be wrong to kick a person when he or she is down. If Monday’s New York Times/Siena poll were a person, it’s been stomped so severely that a compassionate observer would step in to stop the fight. But even though the poll that launched a thousand headlines...
Tigray insurgency: Neither Ethiopian and Eritrean leaders nor Tigrayans accept principles of compromise
The conflict in Ethiopia ‘s Tigray looks set to drag on for a long time with the international community and regional bodies seemingly out of their depth to work put peace between the actors in insurgency that has already claimed thousands of lives. The African Union attempts to bring the...
How on October 10 Russia rained bombs on Ukrainian capital Kyiv, but its stoic residents defied Judgement Day
In the past, when you found yourself being interviewed on a rooftop in some benighted, war-torn place, a news presenter in London would always ask you, “What’s the mood in the streets?” They seem to have given that up now, fortunately, although it’s a perfectly valid question. It’s just that,...
Given the great peril posed by Russia in Ukraine, it’s time the world pushed for nuclear abolition
As the world faces an unprecedented level of nuclear threat following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, all countries must heed the humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons and join the movement to ban their use. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s threats to use nuclear weapons have only escalated over the course of the...
Why aid industry has to review its Somalia strategy: Beyond funding, it’s to relook at how the system works
Famine once again threatens Somalia. In the rush to respond, we risk missing a bigger lesson – the need to reform an aid system that prioritises short-term relief over protecting people’s livelihoods and restoring their dignity. Right now, more than seven million people are going hungry, with over 365,000 children...
Wafula Buke: Shrewd strategist and ideologue Kenya’s Raila Odinga ignored, then lost 2022 polls
In the aftermath of Kenya political stalwart Raila Odinga losing a presidential election for the fifth time, political commentator Edwin Shivakale Skem took time to reflect on where the rain began beating the Azimio la Umoja – One Kenya Alliance flagbearer. The absence of former political detainee and University of...
Electricity politics take centre stage as France weighs viable options to nuclear energy
Pro-nuclear energy activists often use Germany as an example of a country that drastically cut its nuclear energy production – in response to safety concerns raised by the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan in 2011 – only to end up buying electricity from France. Although there’s a lot of talk...
Torn between energy independence and risks posed by nuclear risks France faces uncertain future
Around 70 per cent of French electricity is derived from the splitting of atoms, and no other country produces more nuclear power per capita. More than a means of keeping the lights on, France’s prowess in the nuclear space is also a source of national pride – the amalgamation of...
Should Kenyans opt for mandatory voting to correct a system that is designed to deliver kakistocracies?
What are we supposed to do when the electoral system consistently yields terrible candidates? If you’ve noticed an eerie silence coming from the direction of Kenya, it’s because many of us are struggling to believe that what the news is telling us. William Samoei Ruto, former deputy president and International...
Gen Townsend: Wagner is an arm of the Kremlin and they’re doing President Putin’s bidding in Africa
As Gen Stephen J Townsend prepares to relinquish command of the United States military’s Africa Command, he shared some insights on what he calls, “US national security objectives in Africa,” which he said includes promoting a more stable and prosperous Africa. To better understand the US military’s perspective, foreign and...
