People. Governments. Nations

COVID-19 as Corona Virus Disease is commonly referred to has caused mayhem across the globe. There is confusion and fear. Anxiety and concern. Families are being set apart as quarantine procedures take effect. Cities are experiencing empty streets and withering economies. Airlines are fumigating their carriers like crazy. Turmoil! According to W.H.O, symptoms of this infection include dry cough, sneezing and breathing difficulties. At severe levels it can lead to failure of vital organs and thereafter death. It is important to cover one's mouth and nose when coughing. It is recommended also to wash hands regularly with soap under running water as key means of protecting self. All facets of the World economy have been affected. Sportsmen and entertainment celebrities as well as politician are on the affected list of Corona virus. Tom Hanks and Rita, and Hollywood power couple Idris Elba, a British actor Luis Sepulveda, a Spain based Chilean writer Francis Suarez,...

The beauty of democracy surely lies in vibrant opposition politics! No running away from this open secret. opposition is an integral part in the running of public affairs within a democracy. Opposition represents alternative government or a government in waiting. To prove their mettle, such a party must always project counter policies as well valuable criticism to the government of the day. So what dulls so much the politics of East Africa? The killing of opposition in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. The year 2017 was of great political turmoil in Kenya. A greater chunk of political parties united to front a single presidential bid under National Super Alliance (NASA), and this union was indeed a threat to the ruling party Jubilee. Methinks, one of the strategies of winning the election that year was to weaken the opposition by all means. NASA supporters were mostly branded as violent  and thereby justifying setting the police upon them at the slightest attempt to pro...

Mountaineers/Qoura I have watched with horror the news of deaths at Mountain Everest. My love and sympathies to the families that will never see their kins alive again. All human beings have in born feeling to ignite their spirits and break away from routines of life. Conquering heights is such a fulfilling thing. May God light up the path from Base camp to Life zone. The soul of humanity is made of love alone. We all lift our eyes to the mountains every so often. Thank you for Mountains

Omar al-Bashir  The fall of Bashir, who ruled Sudan for over three decades, came at a  very worst moment. In the context of democracy, public order is at a  high risk considering turmoil in the neighborhood.Unrest in Tripoli  and Algiers. And South Sudan is boiling at the feet. After weeks of peaceful protests, it’s a teeth clenching feeling lest turmoil  erupts in Khartoum. The restraint up there is commendable. So far the spirit  of protesters has remained peaceful and persistent. The citizens are following  every move. The military has very little room to play any game. Any perception  of ill motive can agitate the protesters any time.  The military in Khartoum will succeed because it has embraced  finesse and class towards duty Social skills It was quite a stir internationally when it was first reported that the Sudanese military  were protecting civilians from attacks targeted at them by a...

Yonder is April Weeks of promise  and tender winds Whether at noon or  hurried evenings the common Raven will  flap wings for her children to seek shelter, for cloud's darkest hangs precariously, and narcissus only grins Wild narcissus in April bloom 

Kenya withdraws troops from Somalia? There is no definite communication from Kenyan authorities regarding this matter. It means therefore (because it has been talked about) that Kenya’s stay  in Somalia remains shrouded in grey as it has been for more than a decade now. General populace appear to be in favour of withdrawal of the forces for a whole  lot of time now. but government and regional organizations have been reluctant to follow this path. It can be remembered that Kenya withdrew its troops from South Sudan in a dramatic way, it will not be of surprise if at some point such happens again. If it does, it will signify defeat of African effort to curb Al shabaab extremism. Indeed any laxity on AMISOM’s part will be a major boost for bad elements. Hunger in some parts of Kenya Even though some political heavyweights have expressed contrary views, there is reliable reactions from local residents of Baringo and Turkana that indicate that drought ...

Lufthansa air received by airport staff at JKIA/ Flymag KQ/KAA merger Can I call this queer? Well I don't know. This is something that is peculiar to Kenya. I find the do or die rescue of Kenya Airways to be just about pride and nothing else. Why should the Kenyan public be forced to pull up a corporation whose management has refused to style up? Exactly what  kind of winds is the airline facing? Sugar sector is out Maize farming is not profitable any more Kenya imports poultry and fish Textile industries are long dead Coffee sector is long ailing Now, just how many lives have been affected negatively by going south of all these sectors? As strategic as the Kenyan Airline may be, if it were to die I don't think its effect will be as great as it is being projected. Tourists, especially from the West, are very proud of their own flag carriers. So their coming to Kenya is not really pegged on KQ. By the way, you only have to sit for a few hours at the Ma...

The electoral body in Nigeria surpris e d many by postponing the elections for a week even when everything seemed well. With a huge population and gigantic economy, what happens in Nigeria must be of interest to the entire continent. It looks like a disappointment looming. Such a move means that the there was a very serious problem with the preparedness of the elections. The surprise comes from the fact that we often see such stuff happen in countries that are torn apart by war and thus hardly any institution is operating with a dependable spine.  It begs the question, therefore, is Nigeria suffering undeclared war? So the colourful campaigns appeared deflated by this move. There was a general feeling of disappointment in the populace with Nigerians taking to social media to lament.  Since Buhari assumed the presidency, Nigeria has suffered great harm in terms of resources and public time in encountering  Boko Haram. No doubt that this played a rol...

 This is a blistering new month. The purple eminence of  February is here. Finally, the debris of last year is completely gone, not by wind but washed away into the brimless ocean. A primrose in bloom May our hearts remain pure after this violet bath. We are now ready to Love again

Former Premier Raila Odinga speaking at the Ant corruption conference /The Star Last week, I watched on live television, top leaders in our country attack the Judiciary for supposedly undermining graft war. All the while, Chief Justice David Maraga sat there patiently as all huge cameras beamed lights on him. To start with, the idea about creating a two day conference on corruption is fairly a new one and the objective of such is difficult to decipher. Has corruption become a sector which we need to meet and deliberate issues about it?  So I wondered...why isn't everybody at his duty doing the  right thing? If everybody is doing their job the best way, the business of fighting  corruption or any ill will cease. As Chief Justice rightfully put it, bail is a constitutional right that every Kenyan should enjoy. It is on this basis alone that it makes no sense at all to blame our courts if they award bail to suspects of corruption. Denying suspects bail do...

 Unto the end of the year,  referendum song stays on . This tune continues to accelerate, it is likely that it will grow louder the more we near the next general election. It is my personal view that changing the Kenyan constitution is a daring political mischief. It will yield nothing for the citizenry. Sad again that the  two thirds gender rule  remains untouched by our legislators. There has been gross insincerity on the political front. There is a likelihood that nothing much will happen regarding this issue any time soon. The reluctance shown by parliament should signal the Judiciary to act decisively should a petition regarding this matter come before it. Four months ago we predicted the DR Congo confused elections . President Kabila votes / BBC It has come to pass. It just gives you head ache seeing a crisis develop in such a predictable way and no interventions. Just as it happened in Zim. the government is very likely to use excess forc...

 It's mid December. Pirates - a public beach loved by Kenyans Surely, the year will end in a fortnight. Mean while, rejoice in the sun and the heat. Shimmer in the light. Delight in the breeze Unwind in the wind and be carried away by the charge of this season. Orchid trimmed for Xmas Do you want to build castles? Remember that the gracious sea loves you all just as always

 No more than two thirds of members of any elective or appointive positions shall be  of the same gender. So forbids Constitutuition of Kenya 2010. The third gender rule as it is mostly referred to, has continued to get a ping pong in parliament, which is itself a target  of this provision. Kenyan parliament remains dominated by men since 1963. There have been efforts to realize this legal requirement in the past. Most notably,  towards the general election of 2017. The majority leader in the National Assembly Mr.Aden   Duale tried his best but a greater portion of legislators were reluctant to support him. Perhaps the timing was wrong and members thought that the act was likely to affect their  personal ambitions. The  women representative of Uasin Gishu, Gladys Boss Shollei publicized her intent to table  a bill in Parliament to fix the gender rule issue with finality. For many months now, the leadership  of parli...

A black cat may spoil the canvas with its heinous vibrissae. Or worse still, leave a ball of  be-dewed fur by the nook. The pleasures of life are far greater than any thing else. The passion for living creates fire in all creatures. Love makes us strong All flowers imitate the sun Have a sunny weekend Everybody

How has been your week? Mine has been just fantastic. Monday was vigorous Tuesday was lull                          Wednesday was full Thursday was lit Today has been a flame so far This weekend will be full of reflections and relaxation. Have the pleasure. The moon will smile along with you for the rest of your days! The November moon in all her evening glory

Trump is gaming… There is a clear intent to cripple the Iranian economy. This will not help anybody. The aftermath of the Arab spring is out there for all to see. There is no doubt that the  sanctions will injure Iran in very real ways. But again, that alone does not guarantee  that the regime in Tehran will soften and rethink its politics. Worse still they might fight back, in fact they will fight back. Iran's President /VOA Trump’s memo on Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action almost wipes out Obama’s legacy. Obama’s work in the Cuba has been destroyed and so are the peace prospects in the Middle East. The Korean peninsula does not sit in any good place following this predictable US President. Mr. Trump is following through with everything that he talked about at campaign period. There is no clear view how the sanction s will keep Iran from nuclear weaponry. The US appears to have given up on diplomacy and is experimenting with anything else. ...

  When you come face to face with danger, at that split moment you think only about yourself. How your life has been. What you have done What you have not done What you may never do You sweat, because every organ is overworking. You want to cry You actually cry You want to hide, because you feel naked. You scream, because the string of life is suddenly so thin so that you don't even know  how long it will withstand the tension that the danger brings. Last year (2017), at a time like now, Nairobi was fear gripped. A repeat presidential election had been concluded a few days ago. The opposition which had boycotted the poll was hot angry together with a whole chunk of their supporters. Vegetables were expensive. It was difficult to get roast maize anywhere along Gitanga Road. A finger with or without a mark of indelible ink meant green or red depending on where the path led you to. A wide path could suddenly become as narrow as a squirrel path. Human ...

Horrific image of MV Nyerere after it capsized MV Nyerere sinks It appears like the vision of a great Tanganyika died with Mwalimu Nyerere. It was heart breaking to watch the scene of the ferry accident on Lake Victoria recently. I sincerely couldn’t differentiate fishermen from government rescue personnel. Everything appeared so messed up. No strategy. No formula. Just carelessness. The number of passengers  on board the ferry is not well known. This is squarely the duty of government to ensure safety procedures and other regulations are kept. Ho will Magufuli’s administration ever  account for this accident? It is important to follow up on the arrested  ferry officials to ensure that they are not victimized.  What was the state of the ferry for instance? Does the government have a water travel  disaster response plan? FLOTUS in a shithole continent It is near accurate to say that Donald Trump just like his fellow Republic...

  Thought For the Weekend There is always a certain urgency about a weekend. It is short and sweet.  Each ends with a promise of "lets wait for the next one" Go into this weekend knowing that it will be hot as always. Short as is the custom. You will not squeeze all the leisure you want from it. Pray that the Almighty grants you more sunsets. Credit/sweetymessages.com

What does the US want? The US has in the past led the path of racial discrimination, this was crystallized in the election of their current President Donald Trump. The recent remarks by John Bolton to the effect that if the International Criminal Court tries as much as to question any US citizen regarding atrocities in Afghanistan or elsewhere, they will attack the Court with all their might. This is not the first time these remarks have been made. It is time we believed them. The US is not willing to be held responsible by humanity. They do not care whether their  mistakes make others suffer or not. Afghanistan is hotter than they found it. So is Egypt and Libya. Syria is not promising anything better than a catastrophe. So who will hold the US to account? It is also noteworthy that climate change issues have also received hostile consideration from US and China. Humanity will never benefit from economic growth that strips away human dignity. John Bo...