Essays, Security, Socio-cultural

Police Brutality in Kenya

Brenda Wambui

Kenyans have long accepted the torrid nature of the police service, with the 2014 Transparency International (Kenya) East Africa Bribery Index Report ranking them as first in Kenya on a composite index (resulting from five different indicators of the survey: likelihood of bribery, prevalence of bribery, average size of bribe, share of national bribe and impact of bribery. The range of the index is between 0 and 100). They scored 68, up from 60 the previous year. Second was land services at 55.

Having experienced horror at the hands of the Lands Office, the fact that the police service was … Read More

Africa, Economy, Essays, Legal, Politics

The Predictable Nature Of Corruption in Kenya

Brenda Wambui

Corruption scandals have become a “fact of life” for many Kenyans, who have come to regard them as just another facet of Kenyan life, alongside high taxes, poor service delivery, our “cult of personality” approach to politics and religion, and the misfortunes occasioned to us by terrorism. These burdens seem to be ours for the long haul, and we seem to have accepted them, albeit half-heartedly. It is tiresome to watch or listen to the news; even being on Twitter at a time when one was not prepared for shock or disappointment can derail one’s entire day. A useful activity … Read More

Africa, Economy, Essays, Politics, Socio-cultural

The Solutions to Kenya’s Problems Are Right Under Our Noses

Brenda Wambui

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus Christ tells his followers the parable of the Good Samaritan. A man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho is attacked by robbers who strip him and beat him. Both a priest and a Levite (respected members of society from whom a higher moral standard is expected) pass him by without helping. However, a Samaritan (Samaritans were thought of as scum by the Jews, whose worldview the story is intended to challenge) stops and cares for him, taking him to an inn where the Samaritan pays for his care.

This is a tale of unexpected compassionate … Read More

Africa, Essays, Writing

2015: Liberty, Equality, Fraternity, Or Death

Brenda Wambui

“Liberty, equality, fraternity, or death; – the last, much the easiest to bestow, O Guillotine!”

Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities

This is Dickens’ take on the slogan of the French Revolution, “The Republic One and Indivisible of Liberty, Equality, Fraternity, or Death,” and I do not think there is a better statement to describe the happenings in Kenya, the rest of Africa, and perhaps the rest of the world than this one. We are wont to think of liberty and equality as concepts that go hand in hand, seeing as liberty is often defined as independence from arbitrary … Read More

Economy, Essays, Politics, Security, Socio-cultural

Kenya At 52

Brenda Wambui

On Saturday, 12th December 2015, Kenya celebrated 52 years of being a republic. We had our usual annual celebration where Uhuru Kenyatta addressed the nation and expressed a sense of optimism that is becoming more and more scarce as we continue to awaken to just how badly we are doing as a nation – socially, politically and economically.

He cited many triumphs, remembering the forefathers who build our nation, and the youth who have since inherited said nation. Except that most of the people who fought for our freedom (that are still alive) live in poverty, and the … Read More

Africa, Economy, Essays, Politics, Socio-cultural

The Anatomy of a Lootocracy

Brenda Wambui

In light of the ongoing NYS/IFMIS scandal in which amounts ranging from KES 695 million to KES 791 million are said to have been stolen by alleged relatives of top NYS officials hiding behind a few companies, it is important that we as a nation take pause to appreciate the extent of the mess we are in at the moment as a full blown lootocracy. The money stolen in this scandal is said to have been obtained by introducing an extra zero on each transaction they posted on IFMIS.

Just before this, ironically, the president cited the unmanageability of … Read More

Economy, Education, Essays, Politics, Security, Socio-cultural

What Is The Value Of A Kenyan Life?

Brenda Wambui

Mythology has it that human life is priceless – this sentiment has been reinforced as long as I can remember and is taken as a basic human truth. It is echoed in the Bible when King Solomon had to determine the mother of a child and did so by ordering that the child be split with each woman claiming the maternity of the child receiving half. The true mother of the child pleaded that the child not be cut in half – she preferred that it be given to the other woman rather than die in such a manner – … Read More

Essays, Gender, Health, Sexuality, Socio-cultural

Mollis and the Troubling Attitude Towards Sex in Kenya

Brenda Wambui

Two weeks ago, an audio surfaced on WhatsApp, and later on Soundcloud/Twitter/Facebook of a man named Morris (pronounced Mollis by the woman in the clip due to the influence of mother tongue) having sex with a woman despite her repeated pleas for him to stop in two languages, and her saying she was tired and had surrendered. This is repeated severally throughout the recording, and the woman sounds genuinely pained.

Imagine my surprise when I came online to find Mollis being touted as a don for what was most definitely rape. Men were all over claiming that Mollis was their … Read More

Economy, Essays

Kenya’s National Budget 2015/16: An Analysis

Brenda Wambui

Overview

Kenya has yet again tabled East Africa’s largest budget statement, targeting revenue collection of KES 1.358 trillion (20.8% of GDP) and overall expenditure and net lending of KES 2.002 trillion (30.7% of GDP), leading to a budget deficit. Of this, 1.28 trillion would be recurrent, while 721 billion would be development expenditure. The government of the day seemed to be buoyed by their creation of about 800,000 jobs (the informal sector created over 80% of these), reduction of the cost of living due to the reduction of the price of electricity and fuel (which was cancelled out … Read More

Economy, Essays, Socio-cultural

Why #TeamPositivity Is Wrong

Brenda Wambui

There is a belief that has been around in Kenya since the advent of the prosperity gospel and the flood of self-help books in the market: that the key to the change we so desperately require in Kenya, be it solving our flooding problem or ending corruption, is positive thinking.

Recently, we have faced successive lows as a country, such as the Garissa massacre, the Nairobi floods, the dipping of the Kenya shilling with relation to the US Dollar and the Euro among others, and the purveyors of the positive thinking school of thought have blamed these incidents … Read More