Articles Tagged Sunday Nation

The government had been in power for exactly two years. The President had convened a special cabinet meeting to commemorate the event and to reflect on the highs and lows of the tumultuous past 24 months. He looked around at the men and women sitting around him, and leaned forward to speak. “Ladies and gentlemen”, […]

It is now widely acknowledged that waiting for the government to do anything for you is an epic waste of time. If you are a rural Kenyan waiting for services to reach you, you may well be required to wait until Kingdom Come. The government, you see, has many more pressing things to preoccupy itself […]

So it’s official: we are facing famine in Kenya. The first acknowledgement of this was made when, during a state luncheon for ministers and assistant ministers, the President asked other countries to send us “maize and beans”. I was not, of course, present at the luncheon, but I am willing to bet those present ate […]

So we’re back on the streets again, hurling rocks and breaking each other’s skulls. The teargas returns – coordinated via helicopter and supported by water cannon this time. Kenyan is turning on Kenyan. Tribal positions are more entrenched than ever. Shots are being fired in anger. The state has turned on its citizens, and the […]

It is easy to be cynical about our leaders. Watching them is like watching some theatrical farce, one that begins as a comedy but will, we fear, end as a tragedy. The average Kenyan, who sits among the wretched of the earth, watches these leaders as they try to convince us why they need to […]

1. When you vote for an MP, do you vote for: a. The candidate with the experience, skills and nature to bring development to your constituency b. The candidate with the loudest voice and the biggest car c. The candidate who gives you the biggest bribe? 2. When you vote for a political party, do […]

Here’s a story often told in management circles when discussing culture and change. It concerns an experiment involving some chimpanzees in a cage, a bunch of bananas and a hosepipe: Five chimpanzees were put in a cage. In the middle of the cage was a step-ladder with a bunch of bananas placed on top of […]

How much time do you waste every day because of the tardiness of others? Waiting for a meeting to start, when the other participants have not shown up? Sitting around at a doctor’s clinic where you had booked an appointment for an hour earlier? Awaiting a report that was due last week, and without which […]

We are on the road to economic development. At the end of this road we will find some wonderful prizes: affluence, freedom from hunger, higher life expectancy and enhanced quality of life. Right? Before you accept the truth of that statement, allow me to take you on a brief tour of the developed world. Let’s […]

Few countries in history have enjoyed meaningful economic development without having a vibrant media sector. Why? Because the instruments of mass communication are one of the key enablers of political freedom, which in turn is one of the keys that unlock economic growth. The best development happens in an environment of freedom and transparency. We […]

Our MPs are very fond of going to the coast for workshops – usually sponsored by donors. If a well-meaning donor can be found again, I have a suggestion: that all MPs be sent back to Mombasa. The task this time, however, would be to sit on the beach and stare across that beautiful expanse […]

Of all the systems you and I have to deal with every day of our lives, one stands out as the most dangerous. Systems are, of course, all around us. Most things we deal with can be defined as a set of connected parts: your home, your office, the government. All of these systems present, […]

Here’s something to think about: it is not in Kenya alone that politicians are an utterly untrustworthy breed! As we continue to look upon our political leaders with suspicion, irritation and frustration, we can console ourselves with the news that we are not alone. Politicians are held in very low public esteem all over the […]

Reading Kenyan newspapers these days tends to be distressing pastime. Consider the following news items that appeared over the past few weeks: Forty-one people were injured, two seriously, when a train rammed into a speeding bus in Athi River town. How did this happen? Because the bus driver approaching the railway crossing, in a mindless […]

A few weeks ago, I wrote of the lies told to justify the Iraq War. Since then there has been a relentless barrage of revelations by former insiders, whistleblowers and journalists, showing the true (and shocking) extent to which the US president and his advisors peddled falsehoods. Last month, the US House of Representatives published […]

Successive governments since independence have, in varying degrees, been devoid of vision, devoid of ethics and devoid of competence. In other words, as they took charge of the bus called Kenya, they drove us round in circles, failed to maintain the vehicle until it collapsed, and ran away with all the passengers’ money. Given this, […]

“Before you speak, ask yourself: is it kind, is it necessary, is it true, does it improve on the silence?” These words are attributed to Sai Baba, the celebrated saint who lived in Shirdi in India at the turn of the twentieth century. Today in Kenya, I find myself wondering: would we have any political […]

This week I would like to continue my occasional series offering free career advice to the young and ambitious. Last time I outlined the sure-fire ways to make money in this country. This time I’d like to focus on the big one: becoming a politician in Kenya. So pay attention, youngsters – you could make […]

Last Sunday I found I suddenly had a distinguished neighbour: a ‘whole’ ambassador, as we say in Kenya. No, I haven’t moved to one of those affluent suburbs where the diplomatic classes spend their weekends in stately repose. I refer to the fact that Bo Goransson, Sweden’s ambassador to Kenya, wrote a thought-provoking article on […]

What was the defining moment of the recent City Hall fire? Was it when shadowy arsonists (allegedly) sneaked in to do their dirty work? Was it when we found that the much-derided Nairobi City Council was utterly unable to put out a fire in its own headquarters? No. For me the defining moment was altogether […]

You may have seen a very disturbing scene on our TV screens earlier this week. A local TV station carried the story on its prime news slot, and a very distressing one it was. It caused a cabinet minister to condemn Kenyans as “vulgar hooligans” the next day, and it was hard to disagree. This […]

Who runs this country? The government, you say? Really? Ask yourself this: who has control over your physical movements, your social and economic opportunities, your investments and your peace of mind? The answer, I’m afraid, is that this control is in the hands of the violent gangsters who are still rampaging unchecked across the land. […]

If you’ve ever heard members of the Sikh religion greeting each other, you will know that they always say “Sat Sri Akaal”. What you may not know is what it means: “Truth is Eternal”. The enlightened founders of Sikhism asked Sikhs to place truth so high that it is embedded in their daily greeting. The […]

So, did you have a good Valentine’s Day? Did your loved one deliver the goods? Were the roses red enough, and was the candlelight soft enough? Did the presents bestowed on you show taste and discernment (and an acceptably hefty price tag)? And oh, before we forget – did you feel the love? But we’ll […]

During the early stages of the African Cup of Nations tournament in Tunisia recently, we learned something important: that the defence of our national team, Harambee Stars, is ‘porous’. This was the adjective favoured by most local commentators, implying that the defence leaks goals. Actually, during the 3-1 and 3-0 thrashings that our boys suffered […]

Last week I wrote about the remarkable progress India is making in transforming its economy. India is attracting the attention of economic commentators around the world; most agree that the country has come out of an economic ‘Ice Age’ and is going into a dramatic ‘takeoff’ stage. What can we in Kenya learn from this […]

This is my 50th article since I started writing this column nearly a year ago. To mark the milestone, let me take you on a trip beyond our borders. When I was a schoolboy in Nairobi in the early 1980s, we would often compare our economy with that of India. Kenya was growing at a […]

This week, I’d like to introduce a couple of Kenyans to you. January is traditionally the time of year that many of us try to accumulate calendars to give out to junior employees, underlings etc. This year, a dog trainer did a neat reversal on me. Instead of pleading for a cheap calendar from me, […]