Feb. 7 | CHRIS KIRUBI
The Kenyan elections of 2013 will go down in history as having been a turning point for our nation’s politics.
While the memory of yester years remains fresh in our minds, we are determined not to repeat the same mistakes. We want to show the world that we can be trusted with our own democracy once more.
For this reason, we are witnessing a revolution of sorts; where people have taken power into their own hands. We now understand that no one else will make the difference we seek, unless we do it ourselves. I am certainly impressed with the uprising at the grassroots level; where people are no longer willing to be dictated to whom to elect, but desire to make their own choices. This revolution is a game changer and certainly a reflection that we are a step closer to achieving true democracy.
Similarly, the Kenyan media...
Jan. 17 | As we kick off the New Year, I have no doubt that many of you have sat down to make resolutions. You’ve looked at your life to date in the greater context of where you want to be in future and thought to yourself… surely I must change this or that.
Whether you achieve success in your resolve is another thing altogether.
However, measuring success is not as consequential as the process of periodically examining and re-examining your life. Without doing the latter you will never know whether you have achieved success anyway. So as you aspire to live by your resolutions, I thought I would share a few nuggets of wisdom that have the potential to make your daily life worthwhile.
First, I want to recognise that this is a time of great uncertainty in Kenya. We are anticipating a transformation that may define the political sphere and...
Jul. 13 | Much has been said about the terror attacks in Garissa and throughout the country by politicians, religious leaders and Security organs in the last couple of months. However, I still feel the need to voice my opinion and concerns regarding the state of our national security.
Prior to the elections in 2007, Kenya had witnessed a spate of violence arising from organised groups that actually threatened our internal security. What we know, is that the Security apparatus took decisive action that eliminated this threat. Of course, we also know that the police was later accused of engaging in extra-judicial killings. However, I am not here to debate the legality or illegality of such actions. It was formidable to learn that our Police had the ability to identify these criminals even in their own back yard.
I begin with this analogy because...
Mar. 13 | There’s an African proverb which says that when you put two axes in one basket they will inevitably clash.
When translated, it means that when any two or more individuals or parties, of independent thinking and varying interests work together, they will no doubt run into disagreements. I start by quoting this proverb to show that conflict has been and will always be a part of everyday life; be it at a personal, business or political level.
This knowledge is not rocket science, but is common sense to the simplest of minds. It therefore defeats logic, when we are witness to long and drawn out leadership wrangles that make us want to bash our heads at the lack of sensibility by these corporate heads.
In the end, it is the basket (read company) that suffers the most damage as a result of the grinding axes (read personalities). As is currently...
Nov. 10 | Around this time last year, Kenya was very optimistic about its growth prospects for 2011. In fact, the World Bank had projected that our economy would grow by 5.3percent, which was still less than the 6 percent growth experienced in 2010.
Personally, I was convinced that even higher rates were achievable if the right interventions were put in place. Fast forward to the last quarter of 2011, and growth projections being revised downwards by a percentage point and I wonder … as Kenyans, have we been had?
Have our economic strategies suffered from political machinations at the detriment of our growth? Yes, I do recognise that global food and fuel prices combined with the weakening shilling have been a major contributor to this decline. However, I also know that we’ve been through tougher times and managed to outperform some of...
Oct. 7 | Allow me to join the leaders of this great nation and the world in paying tribute to our beloved Professor Wangari Maathai.
I know that for her family, the pain of losing a mother, an aunt, a grandmother and a friend is very personal and very real. As the country prepares to accord her a State burial, I want to thank the family for allowing Kenyans to share in this private moment. I pray that you are comforted in knowing that we share in your loss and grief, and collectively we shall be asking the Almighty to step in where we are not able to.
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Much has been said about our heroine and I will not begin to enumerate all her accomplishments. However, as I reflect upon her life… I feel compelled to say something about her.
In my eyes, Professor Maathai was the epitome...
Sep. 12 | I will begin this note by expressing my heartfelt condolences to the people of Sinai slum.
To the families who have lost their loved ones in a senseless and cruel death; we are sorry for your loss. To many others who may have lost their primary bread winners; their deaths are inexcusable. To whole communities whose ecosystem has been wiped out; we must collectively say enough is enough.
The heart-breaking thing about the Sinai slum fire is that in 2009 a journalist predicted such demise. I have read his story and I am convinced that he probably just witnessed too many avoidable deaths and took the extra step to highlight a potentially high-risk. I have a feeling that in writing his story, he’d hoped we would take preventive measures rather than curative ones.
Unfortunately; as with most of our problems, nothing else was done.
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Sep. 2 | Even as Kenyans begin to get preoccupied with proceedings at the International Criminal Court and 2012 succession politics, it is imperative that we remain focused on what is important to us as a developing nation.
If you speak to the ordinary person, they are concerned about the escalating fuel and power costs which in turn affect the price of virtually all consumable goods. Simply put; life is tough and getting even tougher under these conditions.
I sense some sort of apathy to politics because the majority of people have discovered that, in accordance with the Pareto Principle aka the law of the vital few, most political decisions (80pc) only impact the lives of a few (20pc) positively. The majority of Kenyans continue to struggle to survive in the murky waters of meeting their basic needs.
I am of the opinion that as a country, we...
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