Otherwise?

I think I speak for many people when I say I'm relieved the US election is over - you couldn't look anywhere and fail to be bombarded by Trump vs Clinton news, and now, the forces of tribalism and prejudice have spoken - the US, and the rest of the world, shall endure a President Trump from next year onward, for four years! At this point, anyone speaking about what happens next will be conjecturing, but I am willing to join in speculating what this means for Kenya, and for Africa. Press play!

Resources

Donald Trump's Stunning Win

White and wealthy voters gave victory to Donald Trump, exit polls show

U.S. Dropped 23,144 Bombs on Muslim-Majority Countries in 2015

Slavoj Zizek on Clinton, Trump and the Left's Dilemma

The danger of America's declining moral authority

White riot: How racism and immigration gave us Trump, Brexit, and a whole new kind of politics

What Donald Trump's presidency means for Africa

Europe in Crisis: The Elections to Watch for Political Risk

Image credit: Inverse

As you may know by now, we are in the throes of a new national scandal in which it is alleged that KES 5.3 billion was stolen from the Ministry of Health, based on an interim audit report that was obtained by the Nation Media Group. Scandals of this nature are not new to us - we have had the Goldenberg scandal, the Anglo Leasing Scandal and the NYS scandal - however, what is new this time is that we have decided to put our feet down, and hold our leaders accountable. This is a rallying cry. Let us come together and save our country. Press play.

Resources

Revealed: Taxpayers lose Sh5bn in NYS-style Afya House theft

Senior ministry official threatens reporter over stolen funds story

What is 1.66 Billion?

Dear Uhuru Kenyatta

The Blindspots of STEM-Focused Education Reform

The Anatomy of a Lootocracy

What Is The Value Of A Kenyan Life?

Kenya At 52

Each Kenyan owes the world Sh79,000, thanks to Jubilee's borrowing

A fifth of Kenya's budget committed to repaying loans

Anger as Kabura Fails to Answer Sh1.6bn NYS Scandal Query By MPs

Beyond Zero Corruption [Facebook]

Kenya Beyond Zero [Twitter]

What Makes Countries Corrupt?

Pyramid schemes seem to be back in fashion, with Russian fraudster Sergey Mavrodi having brought his Mavrodi Mondial Moneybox (or, MMM Global) to Kenya with a serious recruitment offensive. It's as if Kenyans never learn! We've seen this before with Deci, where thousands of people lost billions of shillings. So why are people buying into MMM Global? We dig into it this episode. Press play!

Resources

Don't Get Caught in a Pyramid Scheme I lost Sh31m and brother to the pyramid schemes How the masterminds of pyramid schemes duped thousands into parting with their money 26,000 pyramid scheme victims sue for lost cash Russian fraudster sets up pyramid scheme in Kenya

In what is a rare occurrence in Kenya, the people and their legislators have agreed on something: we have too many elected officials, especially the Members of Parliament (that is, Senators and Members of the National Assembly), and MCAs (Members of the County Assembly). These excess representatives have bloated our wage bill to a point where it is unsustainable – we have to borrow to pay bills, not even to develop. This has to change. This week, we explore the possibilities: how can we reduce these numbers? What impact would this have on our country? How do we go about it? Press play! Resources Audit calls for reduction of MPs, MCAs Ouko team wants MPs' pay cut to below Sh1m New push to reduce MPs, sack civil servants Kenya Government Debt to GDP TSC, Devolution Drive Public Wage Bill Rise Kenya GDP Kenya GDP Annual Growth Rate Each Kenyan owes the world Sh79, 000, thanks to Jubilee's borrowing A fifth of Kenya's budget committed to repaying loans MPs pay increase raises Parliament wages by Sh2bn Does Kenya have too many MPs? Women Contributions in Parliament The More the Merrier? Choosing the optimal number of representatives in modern democracies Secondary Education to Be Free in 2019 Image Credit: Tavaana.Org

Everyone's favourite public servant, Ezekiel Mutua, was back in the news this week as he proposed a Bill that would enable him (and his friends at the Kenya Film Classification Board) to regulate, control and censor basically everything in the country. Ezekiel is nothing if not ambitious, we guess. Is he the Kenyan Donald Trump? This week, we take a peek into the (possible) thoughts of Ezekiel - the banner in chief - and see what it means for us as moving forward. Press play! :)

Resources

#StopTheFilmBill

Films, Stage Plays and Publications Draft Bill

Why Kenya banned 'The Wolf of Wall street'

Ezekiel Mutua Appointed As New CEO of Kenya Film Classification Board

Ezekiel Mutua: Unmasking Kenya's morality police

7 Banned TV Adverts That Are "Pornographic In Nature"

Ezekiel Mutua bans 'girls only' party, terms it 'orgy of lesbians'

We can block Netflix for inappropriate content - Kenyan films board

National values and principles of governance

Google is hosting Kenya's most notorious anti-LGBT official at a conference in California

Immigration Department's statement on Ezekiel Mutua's diplomatic passport

Film board chief faults move to revoke diplomatic passport

Meet 'Nollywood': The second largest movie industry in the world

Democracy and the Demagogue

Road safety has been on the tip of our tongues and the top of our minds after a matatu (KCG 748M) serving the Ongata Rongai route crashed in late September killing four people on the spot and injuring six others. We protested online and offline, the NTSA, Ongata Line Transporters Company and the police engaged in finger pointing, and we yet again found ourselves asking the question we've asked so many times before: what is wrong with Kenyan roads, and can it be fixed? We explore that this week. Press play!

Resources

Four killed in Langata Road matatu accident

Ongata Line Sacco banned over Sunday accident

Multimedia University students block road in protest after accident

Rongai residents march to protest reckless driving

Pedestrian killed by school bus as residents prepare to march to Lang'ata Road

Driver of killer Rongai matatu slapped with multiple charges

Umoinner Sacco bus crash claims 10 lives

Killer Umoinner Sacco fleet licences revoked

National Transport and Safety Authority

World Health Organization: Global status report on road safety 2015

NTSA targets private cars as Saturdays death toll rises

Image credit: Wambururu's Blog

The Federation of Women Lawyers, better known as FIDA Kenya, has been in the news lately for its petition to the courts to have matrimonial property split 50-50 upon the dissolution of a marriage, and to have sections of the Matrimonial Property Act (2013) declared unconstitutional. They have been called malicious and greedy, and been accused of trying to commercialize marriage. This week, we find out whether this is true. Press play!

Resources

FIDA Kenya's Petition

Married Women's Property Act, 1882

Matrimonial Property Act, 2013

The Constitution of Kenya, 2010

The Marriage Act, 2014

Outrage Is The New Black: On Vera Sidika and The Campus Diva

The ride hailing/taxi app market in Nairobi, and the rest of Kenya, seems to be the in-thing right now for multinational and local organizations, attracting an ever-growing list of players – Uber, Little, Sendy, Mondo Ride, Taxify among others. The most dominant operator at the moment, Uber, seems to be learning the hard way about the peculiarities of this market – they slashed their rates dramatically and now the customer experience has deteriorated. We talk about that this week – should Uber have slashed their rates? And, if this was a mistake, what should they do next? Press play.

Resources

Why Taxi Apps are the Next Big Thing in Nairobi's Move Forward

The battle for Kenya – Uber vs. Easy Taxi

Uber in Kenya is upsetting the taxi industry?

Twitter feud over Uber in Kenya

Easy Taxi opts out of Kenya, Africa after common investor leans towards rival Uber

Easy Taxi Leaving Kenya, Africa after Stiff Competition from Rival Uber

Uber and Little Cabs battle to control the streets of Nairobi

Safaricom's Little Cab triggers price war with Uber

The Little Chance for Safaricom's Little Cab

Uber slashes taxi charges by 35pc in Nairobi

Uber taxi fare cut triggers drivers' go-slow in Nairobi

Uber guarantees drivers peak-hour pay after price cut

Jewels' Nasty Experiences with Uber

Complaints about poor service on Uber from Kenyans

Uber's Response after Their Driver Was Accused of Stealing from a Client at JKIA

Nairobi taxi drivers are trying to shut down Uber with protests and intimidation

Uber Drivers in Nairobi Discover Not All Taxi Drivers Welcome Competition

Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, recently visited Kenya and Nigeria in what was his first visit to the continent. He hung out with start-up founders, spent time at hubs in both countries, walked (and jogged) around without security, ate with his hands, did not post white-saviour-type things on his Facebook page, and caused a media stir for more or less behaving like a normal person. This week, we look at his visit, what it means for African countries, and Facebook's possible agenda for the continent.

Resources

Mark Zuckerberg makes first-ever visit to Sub-Saharan Africa

Zuckerberg backs Andela, a startup more elite than Harvard

Open Letter to Mark Zuckerberg Regarding Internet.org, Net Neutrality, Privacy, and Security

Internet.org

Facebook's Internet.org Isn't the Internet, It's Facebooknet

What Mark Zuckerberg didn't say about Internet.org

Free Basics protects net neutrality [Op-ed by Zuckerberg]

Dear Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook is not, and should not be the internet

Here's How Free Basics Is Actually Being Sold Around The World

Save The Internet

Telecom Regulatory Authority of India: Consultation Paper on Differential Pricing for Data Services

TRAI: Letter to Facebook

After 16 years and three failed attempts at passing a bill to cap interest rates in Kenya, former MP Joe Donde's dream has now become a reality. This week, we take a look at the Banking Amendment Act 2015, what it has changed about our banking and financial industry, the critique that has been leveled against it, and the possible outcomes moving forward.

Resources

The Banking (Amendment) Bill, 2015

Donde happy after MPs pass bill to cap interest rates

Larry Liza's Viral Facebook Post

Controlling Interest: Are Ceilings On Interest Rates a Good Idea?

The Impact of Interest Rate Ceilings on Microfinance

Consider pros and cons of interest rates cap before passing banking Bill in haste

The Impact of Capping Interest Rates on the Kenyan Economy

Kenya should prepare for crisis and economic slowdown after capping interest rates

2015 Economic Survey Report Highlights

2014 Economic Survey Report Highlights

Image credit