Posted inNews/Politics

Psychological scars have yet to heal for victims of Kenya’s election violence

By Sitawa Wafula Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta held a ceremony last weekend to celebrate the International Criminal Court (ICC) abandoning its case against his deputy William Ruto (and journalist Joshua Arap Sang) for orchestrating the violence after their disputed election of 2007. The prosecutor dropped similar charges against Kenyatta himself two years ago, alleging that […]

Posted inEqualityNews/Politics

Obama and Kenyatta’s clash over LGBTI rights highlights the need for a much-needed discussion

By Stephen Buchanan-Clarke President Obama’s visit to Kenya as the first sitting US president will likely be remembered most for the strong stand he voiced on the issue of LGBTI rights on the continent. Standing alongside Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta at a joint press conference on Saturday, Obama unreservedly stated his belief “in the principle […]

Posted inNews/Politics

Why the Garissa attack was to be expected

By Stephen Buchanan-Clarke On April 2 2015, Kenya again bore witness to the horrors of another well-planned and executed Al-Shabab-led terrorist attack. Like a recurring Westgate nightmare, five gunmen stormed Garissa University College, separated Christians from Muslims, and executed 150 students, after making many lay face down on their beds. For a brief moment Al-Shabab […]

Posted inNews/Politics

Garissa: Why do they not mourn along with us?

By Laila Rupani One hundred and forty seven/147 young adults recently met their death at the hands of terrorists in Garissa, Kenya. The number, whether alphabetically or numerically written out, holds no value. It is so arbitrary and trivial, yet it is what most media headlines were fixated on. As the hours went by and […]

Posted inNews/Politics

Lessons for Kenya after Westgate attack

By Jillo Kadida Ever since a bunch of terrorists lay siege at Nairobi’s upmarket Westgate mall, resulting in a three-day-long standoff, Kenyan security forces have been working hard to bury their shame in an avalanche of messages promoting national unity. But three factors show they slept on the job. During the operation there were glaring […]