Recently, the Kenyan populace have been treated to the disturbing news that some graduate police officers of other ranks had their salaries cut as they were demoted back to lower job groups as a consequence of a recent court ruling on the graduate officers in those ranks. “Other ranks” in the police refers to the ranks below the rank of Inspector of Police. Many an opinion have been passed and even the COTU secretary general, Francis Atwoli weighed in on the issue with a feeble plea to Dr Fred Matiang’i. A terrible spectacle considering he  is supposed to be a fighter for workers’ rights. Such fights do not succeed through being nebbish and pitifully prostrating at the feet of authorities in a bid to have them practice fidelity to existing laws. Wake up, brother Atwoli! You losing your mojo. Many of those opinions seem to blame the government for acting as it did. And government can hardly escape responsibility in a matter like this. Government can not claim to suffer from the sam...

The Honourable Raila Odinga’s attempt at another reinvention of himself and counter-narrative to Dr. William Ruto’s Hustler movement was great but seems to be failing to hit the right chords with the populace. Like he has done many times before, the aging Raila came up with his new mantra after he and his ‘brother’ Uhuru Kenyatta’s BBI vehicle faltered in the hands, or should I say desks, of a fiercely independent Judiciary. The BBI would have been a shot in the arm for the enigma’s 2020 presidential bid 'if he were to chose to run.’ After the fall of the BBI, Raila had to dig deep into his political craft to find the last and perhaps this time, the very last bullet. He is adroit when it comes to finding that last bullet. He always has a way of getting it and getting away with it. And the so Raila comes up with AZIMIO LA UMOJA. A great slogan, I must admit but it is my considered view that this slogan is old and tired. This jingle, however you twist and paraphrase it, is the same ...

Daniel Toroitich Arap Moi is a name many do not associate with a lot of good in the history of Kenya’s political leadership. During his leadership, so much happened. Groans and grumbles begun, of his leadership after the failed 1982 attempted coup and to be fair to the man, much of what he became after that unfortunate coup attempt was a direct reaction to the event. He became fearful and careful; intolerant and reactionary; brutal and prompt. He led by an iron fist. Those who were grown then will tell you he was cunning as a fox and his moves became as unpredictable as the coming of Christ. In private, he was feared like hell while in public he cut the figure of a very friendly fellow, easily tickled by a funny remark, and often rushing to join and jig with a welcoming band of school kids or local women dancing a happy welcome folk for him. Moi was a phenomenon. In our current politics, we have at our disposal two of Moi’s best students in president Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy Will...

Kelvin Nyamache Nyakeriga is a brilliant young man and definitely an example for many young people to emulate. There’s no gainsaying the fact that he is what many of his age mates can only dream to be. I respect that. However, the young man is the purest, most undiluted among the Ruto-hating species. A near fanatic of Ruto’s political nemesis, Raila Odinga. In one of his many criticisms against the deputy president, Kelvin attempted to define for the hustler nation what, in his view the true meaning of a hustler president should be. And in his attempt, he pulled out a really fitting example, apt for his rant, in Jose Mujica, the former Uruguay president. Kelvin seems to suggest that a true hustler president should choose to live like president Mujica and no other way. To him, Hustler means simply living like a poor man or ordinary life. Needless to say, Mujica chose that life because it’s the life he lived before he became president. He simply elected not to change his lifestyle or sw...

It has been said in many a section of our communities that the world is sick. Its sickness, a gradual but deadly pestilence that has nearly eroded completely the essential ingredient called fatherhood. Fatherhood, or lack of it is a difficult argument and many have put forward great presentations in defense of either their stand or their emotions. Yes, I said emotions, for this is what the blame game has degenerated into. It’s now almost a debate between feminists and chauvinists on who is to blame for the sickness of the world. Parenting is often a complex and difficult task. Even more complex is fatherhood especially when you wish to bring up kids who espouse the very best of human values. The complexity is mainly due to the fact that we always want our children not only to do better than us but also to be better all round including being better human that us. A daunting task indeed. Training children to be better than you is not walk in the park let alone training them not to be li...

Fear mongering and mudslinging is the latest move by anti-Ruto brigade within the Kenyan political arena. The past seven days have seen hordes of photo-shopped pictures and video clips dangerously doing rounds on WhatsApp groups, Facebook posts, and have thus spread far and wide. Many a pretender to political commentary have made nonsense of themselves trying to push a narrative from the clips and photos while pro Ruto army did not hesitate from answering back with their own political jabs without contrition. It has been a messy week to say the least in the political streetwise. Of major interest to me is the clip in which William Ruto is on JKL answering a question from veteran Koinange on the land clauses in the then proposed draft constitution. Ruto give his very unqualified interpretation of the land clauses in the draft as he explained why he was opposed to the draft. In there he mentions that what he understood the clauses to imply was that some non natives would be required to ...

The constitution of Kenya 2010 is an interesting document and has been dubbed in some quarters as one of the best and most progressive in the world. It’s the manner in which it deals with possible legal stand offs that’s most admirable. A supreme law should be precise and straight forward in its letter and strongly implicit in its spirit. Ours appears to be such despite some discomfort in some of us. But it is the zeal with which the Judiciary has stood in defence of the Constitution that is most admirable. Of course this is not to downplay the role played by the lawyers who argue in favour proper application of the law; I suppose the advocates form a core part of the legal fraternity by extension are part of the Judiciary. As it stands, if elections are held today, William Ruto stands the highest chance of winning and if things don’t change significantly— and I suspect they won’t— we are headed for a William Ruto presidency. I say a Ruto presidency because I do not expect anything t...

Mr Raphael Tuju is a man with to sides, quite literally. He is two things but he is not half one and half the other. Nay. He is one thing, wholly, and then   the other, wholly as well. He is cabinet Secretary in the Jubilee government with no portfolio. But, he is also the Jubilee party Secretary General. This means that he represents the party interests in the government and he represents government interests in the party. Seemingly a tough balancing act I must say. But it may not necessarily be as tough as it may look. He is serving the purpose for his appointment. Let me break it down. President Uhuru Kenyatta has from the onset seemed very uncomfortable with the rules laid down by the constitution of Kenya 2010 with regard to many things including conduct and establishment of government, independence of institutions, separation of powers and nearly everything else. How else do you explain his attempt at effecting around seventy five (75) amendments in that sacred document thr...

It might be true. It might even be helpful. But is it preaching?  Some preaching that is considered great by many is nothing more than a motivational speech. It might be true, it might even be helpful. It may help you succeed at work. But too often all one has done is changed the title from the latest pop-psychologist’s seminar from “how to succeed” to “how to fulfill God’s purpose” where God’s purpose is defined as “succeeding in this life.” It is almost rampant in some circles. In fact, some see this as the epitome of “relevant” preaching. The person comes and learns a skill or a mindset that will help them finally break the boundaries that keep them from that promotion. Maybe others finally decide to go back to school or change their career. Perhaps others find ways to become better planners and thus are more effective in their financial life. And then the preacher sits down. Sometimes the people shout, other times they sit there contemplating the message, but ...

 The events of the past week in the Kenyan political arena were as interesting as they were annoying. The political storm that brewed in the wake of government’s withdrawal of the Deputy President’s security (for that is what it was) has been enormous and the conversations sequel to it captivating. Interestingly, the deputy , who is often portrayed by his detractors as an aggressive and easily agitated fellow, has been hugely calm and impressively restrained in the way he has handled the hullabaloo. He somehow still found a way to score political points by welcoming the AP officers with a courtesy cup of tea and a public display of his personal hospitality. The man who in my opinion screwed up things, again, was the CS for interior Fred Matiang’i. The man’s explanation of the actions of the government to the parliamentary committee on security were at best pedestrian and at worst petty. The matter was never concerned with the properties owned by Mr. Ruto that are being secured by t...

It’s harrowingly difficult to be conscious and unbiased and still not be drawn to the events of the past week in Kenya’s political arena. Jokes have been told, memes and cartoons created in the typical Kenyan humorous ways, and on more serious notes articles written and social media posts done in this regard. The political orogeny created in and around the streets from what I’d call a very ordinary statement by the DP is amazing and hugely bemusing.   Granted, the DP is the man of the moment politically speaking and his every statement is analysed and reanalysed word for word by our ever hungry media vultures and erstwhile political pundits, friend and foe, ally and adversary, expert and pretender, even smart and silly. The DP is not a man without controversy. He loves the limelight and he’s taking his moment with both hands and will definitely try to remain in the journalist’s focus in the foreseeable future. I mean that is what politicians feed on. His bottom-up proposal of an...