Opinion Base

Once in a generation, there comes along a few individuals who impact society in a significant manner that leaves an indelible footprint on posterity. These are ordinary individuals who despite their often meager resources and limited political capital endeavour to leave society with less suffering and more light. Think of Mother Teresa or Mahatma Gandhi or our very own Wangari Maathai. Motherly Care Children’s Home situated in Ruai, just about 25 km from Nairobi City is a testament to John Bunyan’s famous quote that you have not lived today until you have done something for someone who can never repay you. Members of Dr. BAMU Alumni Association - Kenya present their gifts to the children of the Motherly Care Children's Home during their visit on 22nd November 2018. Founded by Mama Mary Metobo in 1998 in response to the cry of the needy children in her neighbourhood then who would incessantly knock at her door begging for something to eat, the Home has grown over th...

Just like most Kenyans, I learnt of our Deputy President, Hon. William arap Samoei Ruto’s successful defence of his PhD thesis in amazement after the much publicised previous attempt about two years ago apparently failed to meet the mark. I bet everyone was as impressed by this development considering his busy schedule as the second in command to the President of the Republic of Kenya and also his oversight role in his flourishing family businesses. What, however stole the headlines was his remarks regarding the relevance or otherwise of Sociology and Anthropology courses as offered by our local universities to the Kenyan job market. This he spoke as he launched the TVET Competency Based Educational and Training Framework at The Kenya Technical Trainers College, Gigiri – a ground-breaking initiative that will, no doubt, enable youths to easily acquire relevant and practical skills from Vocational Training Centres across the 47 counties. The said remarks by Mr. Ruto must ha...

The recent string of unrests in public secondary schools in Kenya that have resulted in the loss of school property through arson and breakages and also caused injury to persons have exposed critical unattended, underlying issues in our education system. An oft-referred investigation apparently commissioned by the Ministry of Education concludes that the unrest is principally as a result of panic amongst a section of form four students in various schools who are unprepared to sit their final exams later in the year.  Apparently the tough measures to curb cheating in examinations dubbed the  Matiangi rules have left this lot with little else than try to sink the ship together with all aboard it, so to speak. The findings are quite laughable as they are saddening considering that most of us who graduated a while ago from high school and might have participated in one form of agitation or another against the school administration know that a lot is being left ...

In every work of genius, we recognise our own rejected thoughts which come back to us in a certain alienated majesty.                                                                                                            - Ralph Waldo Emerson Even as you kick back and let your feet hang out of the hammock of routine work, there appears to be just one thing that is always standing between you and your goal. It is like a shadow that is constantly lur...

A common sense approach will suffice here - I don’t need you to go philosophical on me. Therefore, answers like become a billionaire fast (though precise) won’t cut it and neither will skepticism  of the probability of such occurrence happening. I will have to admit from the outset that I have come across a myriad of responses so far from posing the same question on various social media platforms and what is agreeable to almost everyone is that, with proper goals, that’s a huge amount of money capable of changing one’s life and that of the community drastically and for good. Ultimately, everything boils down to what they would do for others. Seven years down the road, the drafters of The Constitution of Kenya, 2010 did not envisage us implementing only five per cent of it (like we sometimes do with our brains) as far as governance is concerned.   I am specifically referring to Schedule IV of the Constitution that deals with devolution. The tw...