Local media coverage of the 2013 Kenyan elections downplayed acts of violence and bordered on self-censorship despite the fact that social media reflected a deeply politically and ethnically divided society. The new Kenyatta government has now embarked on a charm offensive to co-opt the media

The constitution allows Kenyans in the diaspora to vote and there is adequate evidence of the diaspora’s active involvement in national development over the years. What is more, the African Union now recognizes diaspora as its sixth region. But still this writer has his reasons for urging Kenyans overseas to return

Political opinion polls are controversial in Kenya especially at election time as some of the pollsters are owned by or allied to certain politicians. But more worryingly, poll results have been mentioned in connection with in inter-communal violence

The funds transfer programme has lifted millions of people out of poverty, although critics dismiss it as welfare adventurism which African countries can ill afford

Greed is a national trait in Kenya, not just among the leaders but in all the citizens. Everyone wants to get material success no matter what the methods. It the fruit of a seed sown at independence

They say the documentary breached journalistic ethics and exposed sex workers to possible hatred and violence at a time when sex workers have been targeted for attack in Kenya

Established book publishers in Kenya have a keen nose of commerce and politics. They do not publish to store and disseminate knowledge. But instead they publish either to make money or to gain political favour. And now tribalism has also set in

A bill sponsored by the government and backed by IMF to raise more money to finance a huge budget announced recently seeks to impose value added tax on basic commodities. This has led to angry protests by Kenyans

The Kenya government’s frenetic and wasteful sorties to the UN and AU trying to stop the ICC cases against President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto show, if proof were needed, just how easy it is to be busy without being productive

Will the much-vaunted new Constitution change the dismal fortunes of the youth for the better? It provides that the State shall take measures to ensure that the youth have access to relevant education and training; are accorded an opportunity to be represented and participate in political, social and other spheres of life; have access to employment and are protected from harmful cultural practices and exploitation

The former Land and Freedom fighters, otherwise more popularly known as ‘Mau Mau’ have won compensation from the British government for the brutal mistreatment they endured. However, in Kenya many of those who have become Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) since the violent elections of 2008 continue to languish in displaced peoples camps

Israeli cultural and academic institutions, as well as cultural products like films, directly contribute to maintaining, defending or whitewashing the oppression of Palestinians, as the Jewish nation deliberately tries to boost its image internationally

The plan looks fine, but in practice it means Kenya would become a see-no-evil, hear-no-evil haven for tax cheats and money launderers, governed by lax regulation that puts all the power in the hands of the multinational corporations

The following statement by three members of the Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission (TJRC) laments the doctoring of the Land Chapter by the Office of the President. The authors point out ‘the irony of a Commission dedicated to truth, justice, and reconciliation suppressing the voice of a minority in clear violation of agreed upon procedures.’

The Kenyan government’s decision to prosecute 17 peaceful protestors on the spurious charges of breach of peace and disturbance after a demonstration to oppose parliamentary salary increases is in direct violation of the constitutional right of all Kenyans to peacefully assemble and is a serious abuse of the court process

Kenya’s poorest are about to be hit with a staggering 16% tax increase on basic goods, while large corporations enjoy huge tax breaks that only benefit the richest

Kenya’s Members of Parliament want a bigger salary. But the country is outraged by this demand. This week, protesters poured out into the streets of Nairobi to say No to the MPs’ greed

The recent ruling by the Supreme Court upholding the election of Uhuru Kenyatta as president of Kenya has been dismissed by a number of legal analysts as ‘shallow’, ‘unconvincing’ and based on questionable precedents. But petitioner Raila Odinga’s former aide defends it

There is a genuine concern that trade unions and its leadership have failed to protect workers and that trade unions are dens of corruption in Kenya. There is a need to revive a genuine trade union movement that protects workers’ rights and promotes workers’ solidarity

With the recent discovery of oil in Kenya there needs to be a debate as to whether the country follows the path of Ecuador and Norway and leave the oil in the soil or the environmentally and people damaging path of oil exploration in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria.