Why climate change policies must tie in with the special needs of women’s bodies and their fates
Links between women’s sexual and reproductive health and the impacts of climate change are made clear in the recent Working Group II report from the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). For the first time, the authors note the risks pregnant women face in a changing climate. They also...
Why I received a PhD at 61 years: If you have the opportunity to dive into a new academic or professional field, take it
I am not a typical graduate student. An engineer by training, I have designed electronic control systems for more than 30 years, and I had expected to do so until I retired. My wife, Krisztina Valter, is a clinician-turned-vision scientist at the Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra. One year,...
Study says Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni outsources violence to maintain grip on reins of power
How do authoritarian rulers survive in the context of democratic institutions? This is a long-standing puzzle that has become more pressing with the rise of authoritarianism in the 21st century. In theory, democratic institutions should allow citizens to vote out elected officials who don’t pursue the public interest, or hold...
Beauty, brains and holiness: Pageantries have roots in Christianity, remind the living of wholeness of humanity
As a country, Kenya has had its fair share of fetching lasses who ran away with beauty pageants on national and international runways. Beautiful women like the late Gaudencia Aura and Khadija Adams, easily come to mind when we talk about pageantry. Service to mankind, though, remains a remote subject,...
I’m a Ukrainian official; we need more help on digital front to limit Russia’s participation in technology ecosystem
By now, it should be clear that Russia must be sanctioned for its unlawful invasion of Ukraine. As Ukrainians fiercely resist the occupation, we must urge international technology companies to take the drastic actions necessary to isolate the aggressor and stop Russia’s state propaganda across different platforms—as well as limiting...
Africa’s coup jinx: Democracy has produced elites beholden to nepotism, cronyism, corruption, opulence and highhandedness
The resurgence of coups in Africa is a matter that troubles and frightens all of us. Within nine months, West Africa has witnessed successful coups in Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso and a fourth apparent failed attempt in Guinea-Bissau on February 1, 2022, during a cabinet meeting and which Guinea-Bissau President...
Opinion: Syrian refugees in Lebanon need help and protection, not more pressure to leave
As a Syrian in Lebanon who has been involved with the refugee response from day one, I have seen first-hand how the desperation in this community has grown. Many families are struggling to survive, let alone support themselves and thrive. And more and more Syrians want to get out, even...
Should doctors in Myanmar ‘medically clear’ patients or boycott hospitals to protest oppressive military system?
Myanmar’s doctors are taking a stand. For months, many have joined a widespread civil disobedience movement – refusing to work in public hospitals in order to oppose the February 2021 military coup. They’re showing remarkable courage – and raising important ethical questions – in opposing a regime accused of killing...
In ‘pardoning’ him, former Kenya president sentenced his AG to five decades of shame and impotent rage
Because he was the son of a senior colonial official, Charles Njonjo, never really experienced colonialism first-hand and was at best indifferent to the independence struggle. Afterwards, he was vehemently opposed to Africanisation, loudly announcing that certain professions were beyond the ability of Africans. He specifically mentioned law, medicine and...
Fallen Kenya first indigenous AG Charles Njonjo was living testimony of how a ‘Pan-African must not be’
Charles Njonjo goes down in history as one of the best examples of what NOT to be as a public servant, a leader, and a politician. He also qualifies as what a true Pan-African MUST NOT BE. Njonjo, as Independent Kenya’s first attorney-general, presided over the shoddy inquiries into the...
