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Urbanisation gone wrong

Outgoing united nations secretary General, Koffi Anan, recently promoted UN HABITAT Executive Director, Anna Kajumulo Tibaijuka, to double up as the Director General of the UN Office in Nairobi writes Eric Ombok.

The politics of regional representation

Kenyan politicians are a quarrelsome and garrulous lot and will lose no opportunity to rise to the occasion � bickering writes Eric Ombok.

Will petroleum short-change Kenyans?

I will not support or condemn the Kenyan finance minster�s decision to raise the fuel levy per litre of petrol, but will try and provide you with the information to arrive at objective conclusions writes Eric Ombok.

Investing in a nation brand

Any branding initiative starts from the inside writes Eric Ombok.

Water is everybody's business

Since the last quarter of last year, Kenya and indeed the East Africa region has been experiencing an unprecedented biting drought that has only abated since the second quarter of this year writes Eric Ombuk.

Investing in stocks 101

In an investment portal, Jim Gillies writes that �Investing is a lifetime endeavour, and sometimes we�re too clever. We trade in and out, or we get spooked, or we think that just because a stock has risen 20 percent, it can�t rise another 2�000 percent. But it can�.

Time for cost cutting in public sector is now

Whenever you speak to any person in the top management of any organisation in the private sector about their corporate strategy, one thing that dominates their talk is the need for continuous cost cutting.

Staring slowdown in the face

During the calendar year January to December 2005, the Central Bank of Kenya says the county�s economy grew by an estimated 5 percent. This is in comparison to a GDP growth rate of 4,3 percent registered in 2004.

Tis the corporate catwalk season

THE SECOND half of this year has seen the Kenyan business community in a competition of sorts with event mangers of beauty pageants. For a long time the main beauty pageant in Kenya was Miss Kenya.

It is time to call the G8�s bluff

The self-reliance bug is beginning to bite. Donors need new rules of engagement with the African continent, but they are all caught in a time warp, refusing to believe that the �hopeless continent� can make it without their patronage and big brother hectoring.

Time to tell our own story

There is a general trend by journalists in Africa to report on their countries as if they were observers. They report in a detached, removed and cynical manner on critical issues affecting their people.

Time to solve land issues

Land is a highly emotive issue in Africa. It was at the root of agitation for freedom from colonialism in most African countries, and remains a source of simmering discontent even today.

Donors play differently

The posse of Kenya�s development partners known as the Consultative Group was in town again in April to assess the Government�s record in implementing economic reforms and fighting graft.

Uganda�s woes hinder union

Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania can expect a relatively smooth march to full economic integration, which promises their people growing economies and prosperity. But wait a minute. Economic integration per se has never really been a problem. The main issue has always been the political orientation of leaders

No time for fuzzy leadership

President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa is a man in a hurry. And he intends to impart this urgency to the people he has given the responsibility of assisting him in turning his nation from one of mass poverty to a land of milk and honey

Africa dances to the beat of �peace drums�

The Eastern African region, encompassing the Horn of Africa, is beginning to relish the prospects for peace. From Burundi to Somalia to Sudan, former belligerents are laying down their arms and signing agreements with much backslapping, camaraderie, hugs, hearty laughs and firm handshakes. The ironies of this life

Picking up the gauntlet

The cabinet has remained divided, making it difficult to assess their efforts as a collective whole. But some ministers have decided to push their ministerial agendas and make something of their portfolios

Darfur: A test case for Africa

One is even reminded of the fact that since Sudan became an important oil producer, the US Government has substantially softened its stand against that regime.

Beware the ides of August

With the death of Kenya�s minister for tourism and wildlife, Mr Karisa Maitha, the ill wind that has followed the Narc government since it was inaugurated almost one and a half years ago has shown that it is yet to blow over

Saying No to foreign aid

This company was introduced to the country during the Kanu regime, and inherited by the Narc Government. Apparently, it had been contracted for major security projects. It was single sourced, and start-up fees were paid. That was until the whistle was blown......





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