Why 2015 was a year of mixed fortunes for Kenya

As 2015 comes to an end, it will go into history books as the year when Kenya hosted the World Trade Organisation 10th ministerial conference.

And President Barack Obama became the first sitting United states president to visit Kenya. More significantly, on November 25, Pope Francis landed in Nairobi and stayed for three days.

The papal visit can be termed as a great honour and privilege. Also as we bid goodbye to the year 2015, it will be remembered as the year when Tanzania got a new head of state in John Magufuli emerged.

More importantly, it was the year when President Uhuru Kenyatta ordered the crackdown of second-generation liquor after massive deaths and unfettered consumption. In the same year, the President presented the infamous list of shame to Parliament, which contained 175 high-ranking Government officials allegedly involved in corrupt deals.

On the other hand, 2015 will go into history as the year when several Cabinet secretaries and Principal Secretaries were shown the door for their alleged involvement in graft. In the same year we lost 148 youths in Garissa and the shilling sank to an all-time low against the dollar and other international currencies, thus profoundly affecting the Kenyans economy.