Author: Alex

It must have begun as whispers in the corridors of political power. At least for the majority of the public, it registered when it morphed into open noise being shouted on the political streets. The mutation that acquired new seriousness when the shouts made their way into Parliament is an arena for the actualization of the content of the noise. At this point, though, the drama would have a subplot. As the process played out in Parliament, simultaneous effort was made to involve the judiciary. Last week easily qualifies as the most intense for the impeachment process of Rigathi Gachagua.…

Kenya’s decision to formally throw its weight behind Raila’s African Union Commission (AUC) Chairmanship bid has provided an exceptionally strategic boost to his campaign. This is evidenced by some moves, steps and actions taken to improve chances for victory in what appears to be morphing into a two-horse race. The fashioning of the formal launch as an East African Community (EAC) affair, bringing together some heads of state and/or their representatives, revealed the potential impact of overt state backing.  Demonstration of the state’s potency did not stop there. Since the launch, no valuable opportunity has been spared. I am grateful…

June 25, 2024, will forever remain in Kenya’s history books. For the first time, the highly guarded walls of the country’s seat of legislative authority, the Parliament, were breached, with the public gaining access as a registration its frustration. The unexpected emergence of the Gen Z phenomenon came against the backdrop of an overwhelmingly debilitating sense of despair that was consuming the country. The Kenya Kwanza administration had unleashed what hitherto appeared like a successful systematic campaign aimed at destroying or severely weakening organized systems of checks and balances. Among the initial fall was Parliament. The Executive got its way…

Kenya witnessed arguably its toughest and most inspiring moment in recent history towards the end of June. Toughest because of the enduring pain of watching the needless loss of lives, injuries, and blatant abductions, all almost entirely attributable to the state. Inspiring because of an uplifting revival of hope from an unlikely quarter and in an even more unlikely manifestation. Recently, Kenya was engulfed in a cloud of despair and hopelessness, with Kenyans drifting into debilitating apathy in the face of crippling extraction from the Kenya Kwanza administration. The situation emboldened the government, knowing that the response from Kenyans would…

Last week, the Trade Sub-committee of the United States House of Representatives Committee on Ways and Means held a session focused on the future of trade between the United States and Sub-Saharan Africa and Haiti. Dubbed ‘Looking Beyond 2025 for Trade with Sub-Saharan Africa, Haiti, and Others’, hearing on the Sub-Saharan Africa component focused on what follows after the expiration of the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) in 2025. First introduced in 2000, AGOA was originally intended to accord select products from qualifying Sub-Saharan African countries preferential access to the US market. It was set to last until 2015…

The last few weeks have been very tough for the military in Kenya. In particular, it contended with an unprecedented development. Never before in its history has the military buried a sitting chief of defence forces. The untimely demise of Major General Francis Ogolla threw the military establishment into uncharted territory. But besides the loss, the military also made news for not-so-honourable reasons.  Troubling Incidents and Reputation In Turkana, there were reports of conflict between military officers and the police, with the former reportedly raiding a police station to free their colleagues who had been arrested.  Not long after, related reports emerged of…