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President Uhuru Kenyatta is threatened by dwindling popularity in his own backyard as he gazes 2022 retirement. His ‘golden handshake’ with Raila Odinga seems to have hurt Uhuru's reputation in his region. Betrayal tag is engrossed on his mien.  Why BBI is Key to both Uhuru and Raila The unconventional BBI goodies to ‘bribe’ the political class seem to have a negative imprint to the suffering masses, majority of who are business class people drawn from Uhuru’s Central region. The Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) might not, seemingly, shroud the sense of rejection, for the great person that was once labeled as ‘Kamwana.’ The prerogative of any worthy government is to advance the interest of the nation. Has the Kenyan President been able to do something good to unite the entire nation? Why is his handshake sending shockwaves to his deputy? To Uhuru, BBI will be his last political arsenal, before he exits the national stage. To his so-called brother Raila, BBI will be...

It all started as a slap against the US President Donald trump induced by his tweeting behaviors that were taken as a violation of Twitter polices. The former US President was banned on both Facebook and Twitter as a result of his online behavior that supported the Capital insurrection. Trump’s ban was preceded with his incessant denial of the electoral victory of his political nemesis Joe Biden. The 45th POTUS alleged that the election was rigged in favor of Biden. Twitter was his major platform of firing venomous words.  Twitter claimed that he had breached the company’s glorification of violence policy, after sending tweets that showed his alignment to the riotous act. The social network platform started with slapping labels on Trump’s tweets by suggesting that “This claim about election flag is disputed.” When Trump faced a similar ban from Youtube, it was a confirmation that tech giants had the ability to rule the world by shutting powerful persons who violate thei...

As president Uhuru Kenyatta grapples to leave a good legacy after the completion of his presidential term in 2022, there are still many challenges that have bedeviled Kenya under his guard. Has the president been able to curtail some of these problems? The advent of Covid-19 pandemic exacerbated Kenyans woes, as Jubilee government continued funding infrastructural projects to the detriment of many Kenyans who were suffering from job losses, reduced income and closure of businesses such as hotels, bars and entertainment joints. Is the country’s debt sustainable? Kenya under Uhuru’s regime has been severely hurt by the scourge of increasing debt rate . According to Statista, the national debt of Kenya amounted to about 54.93 billion US dollars in 2019, with an upward projection of 127.43 billion US dollars by the year 2025. In 2013, Kibaki bequeathed Uhuru a government whose debt stood at 16 billion US dollars, but currently it stands at 70 billion US dollars. Reports from...

US President Joe Biden has no plans on negotiating bilateral trade deal between his administration and Kenya. This is after a disclosure made by United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai when she held a virtual meeting with Kenya’s Minister for Industrialization and Trade Betty Maina. During the virtual meeting, Tai and Maina discussed various issues of mutual importance between Kenya and the US. Biden’s administration is keen on supporting African integration and sustenance of dialogue on key matters. Biden’s administration supports African integration through African Continental Free Trade Area (AFCTA) rather than the ‘divisive’ trade deals that were advocated by Trump.  AFCTA has been on course to achieve stronger economic integration among member states, being less dependent and building sustainable value chain in Africa. Kenya government has been under intense criticism due its efforts of unilateral pursuance of foreign trade agreements to the detriment of r...

The season of political alliances is in the offing. Days after the launch of Okoa Kenya Alliance, another alliance is brewing up. In the new arrangement, Deputy President William Ruto is still being isolated, though he still possesses some comparative advantage over his perceived competitors. The meeting that was held on Tuesday and attended by former UNCTAD Secretary General Dr. Mukhisa Kituyi, Siaya Senator James Orengo, governors Alfred Mutua (Machakos), Kivutha Kibwana (Makueni), Charity Ngilu (Kitui), Amason Kingi (Kilifi) and Mohammed Kuti (Isiolo) was an indication of another looming political outfit. According to a report published by The Standard, the meeting was to be attended by National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi and Interior Cabinet Secretary Dr. Fred Matiang’i. However, they declined to attend and sought apology because they are public servants and it would have been out of order if they were to take sides. Kituyi, Mutua, Kingi and Kibwana have already dec...

Kenyan government continues to attract criticism over the surging debt rate that has already hit the ceiling. Uhuru Kenyatta’s government is currently unable to fund the loans and the international monetary fund (IMF) has stepped in to assist Kenya to bail out lenders. When Kibaki handed over power to Uhuru Kenyatta in 2013, the country’s debt was Kshs.630 billion. Since Uhuru took over as the president of Kenya, the debt has skyrocketed to a whooping Kshs.9 Trillion. Led by economist David Ndii, Kenyans turned to social media, in petitioning IMF to stop loaning Kenya. Twitter was on fire for the better part of Monday, as Kenyans lambasted their government over unnecessary expenses and rampant corruption. Below are some of the reactions that were expressed by Kenyans on twitter: David Ndii: “Ok, let me explain. Uhuru Kenyatta and cronies have stolen or squandered most of the sh.6 trillion they have borrowed. The SGR is costing us more in subsidies. That is why we can’t repa...

While many Kenyans were predicting the fallout of President Uhuru Kenyatta with his handshake partner Raila Odinga, they were astounded when the two political titans traversed Nairobi in the name of inspecting various government projects. In what appeared to be a mere public relation stunt, left many kenyans shocked by the manner in which the ODM leader, who had just been bedridden with Covid-19 infection, was blending well with the powers that be amidst the BBI fiasco. Raila’s allies led by Siaya Senator James Orengo had cast aspersions on a section of civil servants who were allegedly planning Uhuru’s succession to the detriment of BBI.  When Raila appeared in public for the first time since he contracted Covid-19, he convened a meeting with top ODM officials where he emphasized on the imperative need of the House to approve the BBI Bill before sending it to the public. Uhuru has become so Machiavellian of late; even most of his worthy lieutenants, with the exception ...