BY PETER WANYONYI There’s a reason Africa, most parts of Asia and South America are called the Third World – they are piss-poor, backward, badly-run and generally quite hopeless. Good, positive stories of progress and development are hard to come by in the Third World. In economics, in military affairs, infrastructure, human rights, social progress and in technology invention and usage, Third World countries generally lag far, far behind the rest of the world. Parts of Africa are so backward that they effectively are still in the Stone Age. And you could go to places in South America that are…
Author: NBM CORRESPONDENT
By Darrel Orsmond Over the past four months, over 4,000 organisations globally have been targeted by cyberattacks, which aim to infect their networks, steal data and commit fraud. Many of these companies are leading international names in industries such as oil & gas, manufacturing, banking and construction industries – and some have had their defenses breached by the attacks. Check Point (a world leader in cyber security) researchers confirmed that several companies including a marine and energy solutions company in Croatia, a transportation company in Abu Dhabi, a mining company in Egypt, construction company in Dubai, oil & gas firm…
By Alastair Paterson We’ve all heard the phrase: “When one door closes, a window opens.” You can bet that as you’re reading this, those engaged in cyber crime on the dark web are looking for that next ‘market place window’ to open. The takedown of AlphaBay by an international law enforcement investigation, followed soon thereafter by the takedown of Hansa, has left many wondering about the future of dark web market places. An erosion of trust in these more established marketplace models will likely derail efforts by others to fill the void quickly. But the fact remains, sellers still need…
By Antony Mutunga In the early years when the Internet was first deployed, a lot of people, especially the media, expected it to fail. However, it has now become one of the most influential things in human lives, from how we socialize in the society, how we purchase products to helping mobilize people to stand up against oppression for example, in the Arab spring. It has democratized access to information enabling people all over the world to have access to the widely available data. The Internet is considered one of the technologies that only come once in a decade. Its…
BY VICTOR ADAR At any given time, Kenyans buy stuff packed in papers, tins, or, plastic bags. That notebook, that newspaper, that carton box… While some individuals try to make such waste products user friendly – try to picture someone who is using a margarine tin as soap dish. Or, one who is using a bottle of juice as a water bottle, and for carrying tea, and even porridge, the technical ones do so by taking the wastes through biocides in order to inhibit pollutants. But where will the waste all go? Darshan Chandaria, 31, is one shrewd guy on…
BY LUKE MULUNDA From Kenya’s capital Nairobi to the various counties, real estate remains an attractive investment to many. The demand for housing is growing with increased urbanisation and growth of devolution, yet the government has been unable to meet the annual housing requirements. This has opened up business opportunities for private sector players, who are buying land and developing houses to cater to different types of tastes and budgets. Investment analysts at Britam say Kenya’s real estate sector remains a central component of the country’s immediate and longer-term economic growth agenda, giving the sector a positive outlook. Growth in…
By Kosta Kioleoglou The signs of the property market slow down have been increasing month after month for the last two years. A year ago I wrote in the August Issue and the KBA house price indexes as well as market reports from international recognized organizations presented a different reality. That the market’s performance did not look so lucrative or promising. Analyzing the actual figures, I wrote, one could get really worried. I also said that from 2015, the market signs were not looking good as a slow uptake and a rising supply of residential buildings pushed prime rents down…
BY SHADRACK MUYESU When plunder becomes a way of life for a group of men living together in a society, they create for themselves, in the course of time, a legal system that authorizes it and a moral code that glorifies it – Frederic Bastiat The philosophy Thanks to its ability to satisfy man’s primary want, which William Hegel first taught to be the need for recognition, liberal democracy has been widely accepted as the pinnacle of human socio- economic intelligence. In his acclaimed treatise, The End of History and the Last Man, Francis Fukuyama has even labeled it the…
It is well enough that people do not understand our banking and monetary system, for if they did, I believe there would be a revolution before tomorrow morning. – Henry Ford BY ANTONY MUTUNGA Long before the existence of governmental monetary authorities and financial institutions, the people used to save up their valuables by depositing them with the goldsmiths who would then issue them notes. In time, these notes turned into a medium of exchange and people would exchange them for the commodities they needed. As time went by, the goldsmiths who stored the valuables for a storage fee became…
BY KENYATTA OTIENO Trade, or economics predates organized politics. Kenyans are feeding a monster, a white elephant in the name of politics and resultant leaders. Our political economy does not make any sense. Even before the 12th parliament is sworn in, the elected members are already agitating for a pay rise. The Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) had played a poker by setting new salary guidelines for members of Parliament at the tail end of last Parliament. I like some people in my circles that tell me stuff as they are. I bumped into Paul in town and found myself…