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On 20th January 2019, we found out that while we were busy enjoying our holidays, Uhuru Kenyatta was busy passing new laws, and changes to old ones through a Miscellaneous Amendment Act. One of the most controversial amendments was the one to the Registration of Persons Act, which added new requirements for both location data (such as GPS coordinates) and biometric data (such as DNA). This comes up after the attack on 14 Riverside, and it is said that it's for crime fighting purposes, especially now that terrorism is a key concern.

We're joined by Mercy Mutemi, an advocate of the high court who specializes in Internet law and policy advisory, to discuss the legal, human rights and ethical implications of this amendment. Press play!

Resources

Uhuru backs law change to start listing of Kenyans' DNA

Gov't to collect your DNA, more personal info in new registration system

Uhuru assents to seven Bills including one to revamp NYS

Uhuru signs law to reform scandal-ridden youth service

The Registration of Persons Act (before amendment)

The Statute Law (Miscellaneous Amendments) Act, 2018

State to partner with Israeli firm to create online database of Kenyans

EDAPS introduces biometric portal in Kenya

State of Privacy Kenya

In Kenya, Communications Surveillance Is A Matter of Life and Death

India: Identification Project Threatens Rights

210 govt websites had made Aadhaar details public: UIDAI

Rs 500, 10 minutes, and you have access to billion Aadhaar details

By making Aadhaar mandatory, Delhi's government schools are shutting their doors to migrant children

Excluded by Aadhaar

How India's Welfare Revolution Is Starving Citizens

The Ethics of Surveillance

From Fingerprints to DNA: Biometric Data Collection in U.S. Immigrant Communities and Beyond

Episode 23: Fascism is The New Black

Episode 47: Digital Citizenship in the Silicon Savannah

Episode 58: The Cybercrimes Act

Episode 71: In Data We Trust

Image Credit: Kenya Monitor

In the aftermath of the attack on 14th Riverside on 15th January 2019, many citizens asked how they could help ease the situation, as well as assist the victims of the disaster. Today we're joined by Naomi Mutua, a digital PR specialist and a citizen responder who has been at the front-lines of organizing responses to crises, to discuss this. Press play!

Resources

Disaster Preparedness

Disaster Preparedness Plan

How to prepare for emergencies

Community Preparedness and Risk Reduction

Institutional and Legal Readiness

Response & Recovery

Image Credit: Mercy Juma

The Constitution of Kenya (2010) in Article 8 states that there shall be no state religion. Yet, our national anthem, one of our national symbols (listed in Article 9), begins with "Eh Mungu Nguvu Yetu," or "Oh God of all creation." The preamble to the constitution states that "We, the people of Kenya – Acknowledging the supremacy of the Almighty God of all creation honour..."

We're joined by Elizabeth Kabari, an advocate of the High Court and consultant, to talk about separation of church and state in Kenya, and the seeming contradictions and what they mean for us as Kenyans.

Resources

The Constitution of Kenya (2010)

The Constitution of Kenya (2001)

The Constitution of Kenya (1963)

Jesse Kamau & 25 others v Attorney General [2010]

The Ubiquity of Religion in Kenya

It's rule of law, not religion, that protects human rights in Kenya

How To Balance The Separation Of Church And State

Image Credit: Tuko

This past weekend, it was reported that universities had noted a worrying trend of students dying by suicide, with at least 12 cases having been recorded since January. Many more cases go unrecorded, but the causes were depression and other mental illnesses, family problems, intimate relationship problems, examination and fees stress, drug use among others.

We're joined by Anita Awuor, a clinical psychologist, to discuss mental health and well-being in Kenya, and to debunk common myths around mental health. Pres play!

Resources

Kenya Mental Health Policy [2015 - 2030]

Worrying trend of university students committing suicide

Mental health issues trigger suicides among students

Kenya suicide rate hits ten-year high

Health experts warn of mental illness crisis

People with mental illnesses struggle to find treatment

Mental health problems in Kenya and Africa and how their perception negatively impacts the provision of care

The taboo of mental illness in Kenya

This is how expensive it is to access mental healthcare in Kenya

Kenya's mental health law

Providing Sustainable Mental and Neurological Health Care in Ghana and Kenya: Workshop Summary

Image Credit: The Conversation

On November 18th 2018, the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Board (KMPDB) banned international health organization Marie Stopes from offering any form of abortion services after alleged complaints from the "public" that their radio adverts were promoting abortion. Abortion is a very emotive topic because it cuts across healthcare, sexual intercourse, religion, gender and sexuality, as well as policy. These are the lenses we will use to look not just at abortion, but reproductive healthcare as a whole.

Today, we're joined by Dr. Stellah Bosire, a physician and human rights activist, to talk about abortion and reproductive healthcare in Kenya. Press play!

Resources

Board orders Marie Stopes to stop offering abortion services

Kenya bans Marie Stopes from offering abortion services

The Reproductive Health Care Bill (2014)

Kenya's Abortion Provisions

In Harm's Way: The Impact of Kenya's Restrictive Abortion Law

Abortion in Kenya

Women's Lives Matter: Preventing Unsafe Abortion in Kenya

Unsafe abortion in Kenya: a cross-sectional study of abortion complication severity and associated factors

Contraceptive Use among Women of Reproductive Age in Kenya's City Slums

A System in Crisis from Contraception to Post-Abortion Care

Measurement, Learning & Evaluation of the Kenya Urban Reproductive Health Initiative (Tupange): Kenya Endline Service Delivery Point Survey 2014

2011 Kenya Urban Reproductive Health Service Delivery Report

Religious Affiliation and Contraceptive use in Kenya

Separating the Church from State: The Kenyan High Court's Decision in "Jesse Kamau and 25 Others v Attorney General" (Judgment of 24 May 2010)

Five facts about birth control in Kenya

Depo-Provera and HIV

New PRI Study Shows Depo-Provera Increases Risk of HIV Infection

Sexuality Education in Kenya: New Evidence from Three Counties

The reality of sexuality: Schools are taking the wrong approach on sex education

Women and The Law: A Spotlight On Recent Kenyan Legislation

What About Nerea?

Mollis and the Troubling Attitude Towards Sex in Kenya

What About The Girl Child?

The Elephant in Kenya's Room

Image Credit: Focus Africa

The Constitution of Kenya (2010) has multiple provisions that govern representation, but the two-thirds gender principle has been the most difficult to implement. Article 27(8) states that the State shall take legislative and other measures to implement the principle that not more than two-thirds of the members of elective or appointive bodies shall be of the same gender. Article 81(b) states that not more than two-thirds of the members of elective public bodies shall be of the same gender. Article 175(c) also states that no more than two-thirds of the members of representative bodies in each county government shall be of the same gender.

It has been 8 years now since we passed the constitution, but we have yet to enact legislation that enforces these constitutional provisions. Today, we're joined by Marilyn Kamuru, a lawyer, writer and consultant, to talk about how this refusal to enact this principle has put Kenya in a constitutional crisis. Press play!

Resources

Where Women Are: Gender & The 2017 Kenyan Elections

MPs divided over Bill as lobbying steps up

Uhuru urges MPs to pass the two-thirds gender Bill tomorrow

Uhuru, Raila appeal to MPs as gender bill goes to the vote

A Gender Analysis of the 2017 Kenya General Elections

OUR UNLAWFUL LAWMAKERS: Parliament, the Supreme Court and the Gender Principle

Why we cannot change the Constitution without violating it

The Elephant in Kenya's Room

Flower Girls, Girlfriends and Sexist Discourse: The Politics of the Two-Thirds Gender Bill

The F-word: The Place of Feminism In Contemporary Kenya

In The Name Of Freedom

Are Kenyans Over-represented?

Episode 49: Women and Youth in Kenyan Politics

Episode 68: Women and the 2017 Elections

Image Credit: The Informer

In our first ever live event, we were joined by Joy Ndubai, Kwame Owino and Alex Owino to discuss how public finance and tax justice intersect with our right to food in Kenya.

What is tax justice and public finance, and how do they interact with our access to affordable food? What current circumstances/challenges do we face as a country that make us food insecure? In which ways do the current policy frameworks and systems in Kenya undermine food security and the right to food and how does our public finance system alleviate or contribute to these challenges?

What steps should the Kenyan state take towards achieving the food security and right to food? How can we better use our taxes and craft financial systems/frameworks to make sure that we have adequate food that is accessible and affordable for all? How about citizens? How can we get to know how public money is used, hold our government(s) accountable, and build expectations of service delivery re: clean and safe food? Press play to find out!

In our first ever live event, we were joined by Joy Ndubai, Kwame Owino and Alex Owino to discuss how public finance and tax justice intersect with our right to food in Kenya.

What is tax justice and public finance, and how do they interact with our access to affordable food? What current circumstances/challenges do we face as a country that make us food insecure? In which ways do the current policy frameworks and systems in Kenya undermine food security and the right to food and how does our public finance system alleviate or contribute to these challenges?

What steps should the Kenyan state take towards achieving the food security and right to food? How can we better use our taxes and craft financial systems/frameworks to make sure that we have adequate food that is accessible and affordable for all? How about citizens? How can we get to know how public money is used, hold our government(s) accountable, and build expectations of service delivery re: clean and safe food? Press play to find out!

On Monday, 12th November, 2018, commuters woke up to a matatu "strike" that saw fares rise to almost double (or even triple) what they normally are. The cause of the strike? The government's declaration that it would once again begin enforcing the "Michuki Rules" commencing that day. Many were left stranded as matatus were pulled off the road to comply with the rules, which had never been revoked in the first place.

This was the government's response to a bus accident at Fort Ternan that claimed 58 lives. Today, we're joined by Constant Cap, an urban planner, to talk about why the lack of road safety in Kenya is actually a planning issue, and what we can do to remedy the situation. Press play!

Resources

10 bodies yet to be claimed after Fort Ternan road accident

Matatus' mad rush to comply with Michuki rules

Michuki Rules: Kenya back to square one

The Traffic Act (2013)

The Organization, Issues and the Future Role of the Matatu Industry in Nairobi, Kenya

Nairobi County Non-Motorized Transport Policy

Planning and Road Safety: Opportunities and Barriers

The Influence of Urban Planning on Road Safety

Digital Matatus

Naipolitans: Facebook, Twitter

Critical Mass: Facebook, Twitter

Re-imagining Nairobi

Open Streets Cape Town

[Rwanda] Car-free day: What is the impact?

Image Credit: Nairobi News

The Blankets and Wine Festival, a pioneer in the Kenyan live music scene, turned 10 years old on 3rd November 2018. We are joined by its founder, Muthoni Drummer Queen, to talk about its journey, the growth of live music in Kenya and how it has evolved in the past decade, as well as what the future holds for Kenyan music. Press play!

Image Credit: Blankets and Wine