BY JACOB OKETCH S ometimes it takes a very long journey for an alcoholic to get to sobriety. There are people out there who have been to hell and back. One thing is clear though; no matter how much one is entangled with alcoholism, there is always an opening for an escape. In some cases, an alcoholic’s experience is what sets them up with a moment of breakthrough. The story of Fanuel is so trying that one would not have expected him to get relief from alcoholism. And he was not just using alcohol. He was also smoking bhang, chewing…
Author: NBM CORRESPONDENT
BY BRENDA VIOLA Life has a way of giving us both the high and lows, a necessary balance. It took me long enough, but I finally understood it, rather, I accepted it. The word understood implies that I somewhat trusted the ‘process’. I didn’t, accepting seemed less trivial than trying to see the bigger picture. It is only natural to prefer the highs to the lows, like when my sister tied the knot to her happily ever after, or when I got to experience the adventure I had longed for since as long as I could remember. The memory of…
As we wade through the pandemic-stricken 2020 cutting through May, the month of workers and their welfare, one may wonder just how the creative, diligent, towering and legendary trade unionist, Joseph Thomas Mboya would have handled the ensuing labour anxiety BY GAD WESONGA Historical accounts captured an incident in 1951 when a European woman in then colonial Kenya walked into an office for service, found an African young man and posed: “Is there anybody here?” to which the cheeky African retorted: “Is there something wrong with your eyes?” The young African quoted above was Joseph Thomas Mboya, then a Sanitary…
According to the National Housing Corporation (NHC), the housing deficit stands at 2m and has been growing annually by approximately 200,000 units. The Government introduced ‘Provision of affordable housing’ in 2017 as one of its four key pillars for the following five years with the aim of delivering 500,000 units to alleviate the housing crisis. Three years later, it has only delivered approximately 228 housing units, an indicator that the target units might just be a pipe dream. The slow momentum is largely attributable to unavailability of financing for developers and buyers alike. To alleviate the housing issue, the Government…
Businesses will need to adjust their operations to selling less than before, or selling to larger numbers of people with lower incomes BY CLEMENT CHINAKA In Africa, reactions to the onset of Covid-19 have been varied, from full lockdowns in most of Southern Africa, regional lockdowns in some West African countries and just social distancing and nighttime curfews in some countries. Official statistics suggest that most of Africa has managed to keep infections levels relatively low, so far. As a result of the different responses, the economic impact has also been varied across the continent, but due to the impact…
COVID-19 continues to be a threat to humanity, as the number of the infected increases and a cure remains elusive. Kenya has not been left unscathed as the pandemic is taking its toll on the economy. According to Moody’s, a credit rating agency, the rapid and widening spread of COVID-19 is creating a severe and extensive credit shock across many regions and markets. As a result, Kenya is at risk due to its high debt and interest burdens, which will worsen with larger fiscal deficits and weaker growth. Due to this, in addition to the rising financing risks posed…
The shilling has been on a depreciation streak having lost 5.4%, year to date, ending May at Sh106.8 on average due to reduction in diaspora remittances due to Coronavirus pandemic, a flight to safety by foreign investors, increased demand from importers as they stock up dollars and dwindling forex reserves Over the past five years, the Kenya Shilling has been relatively stable against the Dollar, as the Central bank has continuously maintained high forex reserves at above the statutory target of 4.0 – months import cover, having averaged $6.7b equivalent to 4.6 months average import cover. The shilling has been…
BY JACOB OKETCH The implosion that we have witnessed within the ruling party Jubilee has revealed the kind of political formations that we should expect ahead of the 2022 General Election. At the centre of it all is Deputy President William Ruto who has fallen out spectacularly with his party boss President Uhuru Kenyatta. The big question is what now for the embattled DP going forward? The first two weeks of May the Jubilee Party has undergone a transformation of epic proportions. First were the changes that were made in the party’s management council where four new faces were introduced…
BY VICTOR ADAR If you are mourning and someone offers you a cheque of good amount, chances are that you will stop and smile while grudgingly looking downwards, and then continue grieving after that. Believe it or not, funerals are extremely expensive in certain parts of the country with budgets going for thousands, and even millions of shillings. Try to put in mind the budget for coffin, embalming, morgue storage, newspaper and radio adverts, tents, transport, burial permit, and of course, other over heads. Insurance products might be a game changer. Davis Ongiro, the general manager of Octagon Insurance limited,…
Many challenges lie ahead. When travel finally resumes, there will be a frantic race to attract guests. Success will require innovation and originality BY KABELO MOTHOA As lockdowns are extended around the world, including in Italy, the United Kingdom, France, India and now South Africa, businesses are working hard on strategies to ensure they are ready to hit the ground running when these are lifted, even if only in a staged manner. And the hospitality industry is among the sectors leading the field. It is essential for hospitality businesses to be ready to jumpstart operations as soon as it is…