How Eldoret's statue mirrors mediocrity in our leadership
Exactly how much money was spent on this effort? How can we cycle out of this culture of mediocrity among our governing elites?
By Ken Opalo 3 months ago
How Eldoret's statue mirrors mediocrity in our leadership
President Ruto needs a coherent growth strategy
The only thing the president has focused on since taking office is avoiding default, mostly through highly erratic tax hikes.
By Ken Opalo 3 months ago
President Ruto needs a coherent growth strategy
The new Cabinet falls far short of our expectations
The overarching mental model of how the Cabinet is supposed to work and the expectations from Parliament have not changed.
By Ken Opalo 3 months ago
The new Cabinet falls far short of our expectations
Somalis are as Kenyan as it gets, stop whispering
Somalis are Kenyan. They have no apology to make for being Kenyan. And have the right to live and work anywhere in the Republic and to occupy any public office.
By Ken Opalo 3 months ago
Somalis are as Kenyan as it gets, stop whispering
Here's Ruto's huge chance to improve governance quality
Anti-corruption and service delivery reforms targeting counties would also provide important lessons that could inform similar efforts at the national level.
By Ken Opalo 4 months ago
Here's Ruto's huge chance to improve governance quality
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The political class has panicked about ongoing protests
President Ruto must understand that now is not the time to try old tricks.
By Ken Opalo 4 months ago
The political class has panicked about ongoing protests
President should know good leaders don't waste crises
President Ruto must change course. He must reconstitute his Cabinet and senior levels of the Public Service to bring in competent people. He must prioritise service delivery.
By Ken Opalo 4 months ago
President should know good leaders don't waste crises
All compromised politicians should remain locked away in social jail
Thieves and murderous should not be celebrated.
By Ken Opalo 4 months ago
All compromised politicians should remain locked away in social jail
Anti-tax protests pose legitimacy test to Kenya Kwanza
Rex Masai's murder presents a clear moral test to the government. First, his family and the general public deserve a swift investigation and punishment of those responsible.
By Ken Opalo 5 months ago
Anti-tax protests pose legitimacy test to Kenya Kwanza
The state exists to protect the most vulnerable
The state exists not to provide public goods and services and take care of the vulnerable, but to pamper the political class.
By Ken Opalo 5 months ago
The state exists to protect the most vulnerable
UDA battles must not distract us from the Finance Bill
The ongoing wrangles within UDA are a reminder of this legacy of Potemkin parties.
By Ken Opalo 5 months ago
UDA battles must not distract us from the Finance Bill
Taxes and more firefighting will not grow Kenya
It is good that the administration was willing to experiment on policy to stem the shilling's slide. These are commendable efforts.
By Ken Opalo 6 months ago
Taxes and more firefighting will not grow Kenya
Why CS Linturi should resign or just be fired
In normal jurisdictions, Mr Linturi would have resigned even if he had nothing to do with the scam.
By Ken Opalo 6 months ago
Why CS Linturi should resign or just be fired
Lack of disaster preparedness quite shameful
Crises expose the unprepared. As torrential rain drenched much of the country this past week, both national and county governments were exposed for their total lack of disaster preparedness.
By Ken Opalo 6 months ago
Lack of disaster preparedness quite shameful
Put priorities right to provide urgent solutions to crisis
For this reason, the best antidote to failure - especially when it comes to public affairs - is actual demonstrable success.
By Ken Opalo 6 months ago
Put priorities right to provide urgent solutions to crisis
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Let's take Jirongo's claim of toxic waste dumping seriously
It would be ideal if the government swiftly helped the country get to the bottom of the matter. The accusations are too great to simply sweep under the carpet.
By Ken Opalo 7 months ago
Let's take Jirongo's claim of toxic waste dumping seriously
Ruto should push SEZ to spur fast industrial growth
It is a shame that our SEZ story has yet to play a bigger role in our policymaking agenda. President William Ruto and his economic team should view this as a challenge.
By Ken Opalo 7 months ago
Ruto should push SEZ to spur fast industrial growth
Health CS Nakhumicha has failed to engage our doctors well
There are three sectors that will be critical to how President William Ruto's tenure is judged after he leaves office (be that in 2027 or 2032): agriculture, education and health.
By Ken Opalo 8 months ago
Health CS Nakhumicha has failed to engage our doctors well
The problem is not religiosity, but the quality
At the individual level, religion can be a source of inspiration for managing risks presented by life's randomness and mysteries, as well personal character formation.
By Ken Opalo 8 months ago
The problem is  not religiosity,  but the quality
Ruto's economic team must use its space responsibly
President William Ruto's economic team has solved the biggest problem it inherited from the Uhuru Kenyatta administration.
By Ken Opalo 9 months ago
Ruto's economic team must use its space responsibly
Uhuru nostalgia reminds us how bad things are
The Jubilee government borrowed with careless abandon and squandered most of the borrowed money on projects with little overall economic impact.
By Ken Opalo 9 months ago
Uhuru nostalgia reminds us how bad things are
Address femicide crisis urgently to secure our women
The only prominent voices out there are young women, many of whom continue to be dismissed.
By Ken Opalo 9 months ago
Address femicide crisis urgently to secure our women
Ruto must pay more attention to education
The government forgot that the introduction of junior secondary as a tier in the system, necessitated the construction of schools.
By Ken Opalo 10 months ago
Ruto must pay more attention to education
There's checking the Judiciary and then despotism
The demands of the rule of law state that everyone - especially an important state officer like the President - should be prepared to honour court rulings.
By Ken Opalo 10 months ago
There's checking the Judiciary and then despotism
Why Kenya needs a serious shift in policymaking
For the Kenya Kwanza administration, one hopes that there is a plan to pivot to serious policymaking once the Eurobond payment is behind us.
By Ken Opalo 10 months ago
Why Kenya needs a serious shift in policymaking
Kagame has built a governance system with State support
Rwanda works not because Paul Kagame is an autocrat, but because he has built a working system of governance backed by a strong state.
By Ken Opalo 11 months ago
Kagame has built a governance system with State support
Make workers more productive and see a drop in poverty
President William Ruto and his economic team should treat the World Bank report with the seriousness it deserves.
By Ken Opalo 11 months ago
Make workers more productive and see a drop in poverty
Let us renew our social contract this Jamhuri Day
Looking back, we should ask ourselves: what have we done to honour the sacrifices of those who fought and died so we might be free?
By Ken Opalo 11 months ago
Let us renew our social contract this Jamhuri Day
Kenya Kwanza already steeped in grand sleaze
The Sh16.5 billion edible oils scandals, which allegedly implicates members of President William Ruto's Cabinet, is a slap in the face of Kenyans.
By Ken Opalo 11 months ago
Kenya Kwanza already steeped in grand sleaze
Is Kenya Kwanza economic agenda avoiding default?
There is a lot more to economic policymaking than meeting deadlines set by the International Monetary Fund. The IMF are firefighters.
By Ken Opalo 11 months ago
Is Kenya Kwanza economic agenda avoiding default?
Meru leaders must stop fighting the governor and get down to hard work
Meru County is staring at political collapse. MCAs have twice impeached Governor Kawira Mwangaza accusing her of misgovernance and nepotism.
By Ken Opalo 1 year ago
Meru leaders must stop fighting the governor and get down to hard work
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Kenyans have no more room for extra taxes
Taxation without evidence of benefits will drive ever more Kenyans to evade taxes. Furthermore, the government should make it clear that everyone is bearing their fair share.
By Ken Opalo 1 year ago
Kenyans have no more room for extra taxes
KRA's punitive tax bid at JKIA is ill-advised
As the government seeks to raise enough revenue to pay for public goods and services and interest on our debts, the medicine should not be worse than the disease.
By Ken Opalo 1 year ago
KRA's punitive tax bid at JKIA is ill-advised
We should avoid short-termism in varsity reforms
Most reasonable people would agree there is a need to rationalise the higher education sector.
By Ken Opalo 1 year ago
We should avoid short-termism in varsity reforms
President must do more to sell healthcare plan
How does the new plan fit with county-level primacy over the sector? Is the government intent on re-nationalising the health sector?
By Ken Opalo 1 year ago
President must do more to sell healthcare plan
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Gachagua gets tough political lessons in doses
President William Ruto is on record castigating the idea of "shareholders in government," principally championed by his Deputy Rigathi Gachagua, as "primitive and backward."
By Ken Opalo 1 year ago
Gachagua gets tough political lessons in doses
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Why President Ruto is held hostage by his brand of politics
This week's Cabinet reshuffle was, in effect, an admission by President William Ruto that he selected a sub-par cabinet.
By Ken Opalo 1 year ago
Why President Ruto is held hostage by his brand of politics
President Ruto wants to eat his cake and have it
While reasonable people may quibble with specific tactics or policy positions, it is generally a good thing that the President is out there selling Brand Kenya.
By Ken Opalo 1 year ago
President Ruto wants to eat his cake and have it
Ethiopia's regional construction sector giant brilliant idea
The idea, based on the limited available information, appears to be to crowd in as much of the sourcing of materials and skills as possible within the Ethiopian economy.
By Ken Opalo 1 year ago
Ethiopia's regional construction sector giant brilliant idea
ODM justified to expel MPs but it exposes weakness
Our parties are poorly institutionalised. They are also personalist. A party that has to expel members for disloyalty lacks the organisational mechanisms for screening candidates
By Ken Opalo 1 year ago
ODM justified to expel MPs but it exposes weakness
Controversial Adani deals expose impotence of MPs
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