Ken Opalo - The Standard

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NEWS & CURRENT AFFAIRS

Digital News

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Ken Opalo

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 27 days ago

Ruto should push SEZ to spur fast industrial growth

Health CS Nakhumicha has failed to engage our doctors well

Health CS Nakhumicha has failed to engage our doctors well

By Ken Opalo 1 month ago

The problem is not religiosity, but the quality

The problem is not religiosity, but the quality

By Ken Opalo 1 month ago

Ruto's economic team must use its space responsibly

Ruto's economic team must use its space responsibly

By Ken Opalo 2 months ago

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 2 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 2 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 3 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 3 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 3 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 4 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 4 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 4 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 4 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 5 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 5 months ago

Meru leaders must stop fighting the governor and get down to hard work

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 5 months 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 5 months 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 5 months 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 6 months ago

President must do more to sell healthcare plan

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 6 months ago

Gachagua gets tough political lessons in doses

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 6 months ago

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 6 months 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 7 months 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 7 months ago

ODM justified to expel MPs but it exposes weakness

We should all be level-headed on climate policies

President William Ruto hosted our region and the world and in so doing established our position as a serious stakeholder in the global discourse on climate change and potential solutions.

By Ken Opalo 7 months ago

We should all be level-headed on climate policies

We must embrace all Kenyans from diverse ethnicities

Who exactly is scared of Somalis? As a country, we need to ask this uncomfortable question and then educate our fellow citizens.

By Ken Opalo 7 months ago

We must embrace all Kenyans from diverse ethnicities

Middle East oil deal shows need for bold policy formulation

We still lack a coherent process of policy communication. Most people, including "experts" appear not fully aware of what prompted the policy moves.

By Ken Opalo 8 months ago

Middle East oil deal shows need for bold policy formulation

Let's focus on next ten years of devolution

The past is gone, so we must focus on the future. When looking ahead at the next ten years of devolution, two things come to mind that ought to be the focus of governments in the devolved units.

By Ken Opalo 8 months ago

Let's focus on next ten years of devolution

Let Uasin Gishu airlift scammers face justice now

The bravery of the youth to confront their leaders who swindled them is commendable evidence that future generations will not take misgovernance in silence.

By Ken Opalo 8 months ago

Let Uasin Gishu airlift scammers face justice now

Don't forget to root for devolution in upcoming talks

If UDA wants to keep winning national elections, it is in their best interest to visibly champion devolution.

By Ken Opalo 8 months ago

Don't forget to root for devolution in upcoming talks

How we risk being caught up in the middle-income trap

We run the risk of falling into the middle-income trap, a situation whereby economies stagnate at a certain level of income on account of a lack of innovation and endemic inequality.

By Ken Opalo 9 months ago

How we risk being caught up in the middle-income trap

How protests erode Kenya Kwanza's legitimacy and plan

In politics, legitimacy is a currency. It allows losers of elections to accept to be governed by their competitors.

By Ken Opalo 9 months ago

How protests erode Kenya Kwanza's legitimacy and plan

We have come a long way since first Saba Saba

The journey has not always been smooth. The first two multiparty elections in 1992 and 1997 involved significant levels of state-sponsored violence that left thousands dead.

By Ken Opalo 9 months ago

We have come a long way since first Saba Saba

Why next fiscal year will define Ruto's legacy

When Kenyans are evaluating Ruto, they will judge him not against what other presidents did but based on how well he addresses our contemporary problems.

By Ken Opalo 9 months ago

Why next fiscal year will define Ruto's legacy

Ruto must reform State machinery to deliver pledges

A strong administrative state that can implement his directives would make up for wishy-washy cabinet secretaries. It is fair to say service delivery by our government is far from ideal.

By Ken Opalo 10 months ago

Ruto must reform State machinery to deliver pledges

Opinion polling on Finance Bill could have upped debate

While the discussion mostly focused on the proposed housing levy, Kenyans also discussed the Finance Bill's implications on manufacturing, small and medium businesses, and costs of tax administration

By Ken Opalo 10 months ago

Opinion polling on Finance Bill could have upped debate

State's messaging failures go beyond housing levy bid

Every drop of the drip of information from Housing and Urban Development PS Charles Hinga erodes government credibility on the housing levy.

By Ken Opalo 10 months ago

State's messaging failures go beyond housing levy bid

How the President is playing class politics all wrong

The hustlers may have had the votes, but they contribute precious little in direct income taxes. They are also largely unreachable via existing policy levers.

By Ken Opalo 10 months ago

How the President is playing class politics all wrong

Reshuffles won't fix fundamental governance gaps

How did Kibaki do it? He appointed competent people in key offices, then substantively delegated to them with clear instructions on outcomes.

By Ken Opalo 10 months ago

Reshuffles won't fix fundamental governance gaps

Parliament can't be a watchdog if clueless on policy

Since publication of the Finance Bill and its raft of taxing proposals, Ruto's camp has struggled to provide a coherent message on what the government intends to do with our taxes.

By Ken Opalo 11 months ago

Parliament can't be a watchdog if clueless on policy

Ruto owes us an honest debate on the Finance Bill

To illustrate the importance of having honest discussions in attempts to answer these two questions, let us consider the proposal to levy taxes for an affordable housing fund.

By Ken Opalo 11 months ago

Ruto owes us an honest debate on the Finance Bill

Emigration can be source of economic dynamism in Kenya

Notice that this would be akin to investing in high-end service exports in which case aiming to be globally competitive would have positive spillover effects in our own domestic economy.

By Ken Opalo 11 months ago

Emigration can be source of economic dynamism in Kenya

Ruto owes nation explanation on Shakahola tragedy

Will President Ruto rise to the occasion in his administration's handling of this case and its aftermath?

By Ken Opalo 11 months ago

Ruto owes nation explanation on Shakahola tragedy

How the economic crisis has broken our social fabric

Desperation in the face of uncontrollable precarity will force ever more people to resort to bizarre means to make sense of the world.

By Ken Opalo 1 year ago

How the economic crisis has broken our social fabric

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