Vol 63 No 16 | KENYA When the political descends to the personal 22nd July 2022 An election campaign focused more on insults than policy is doing little to calm fears about disputed results Ahead of the 9 August presidential elections, former prime minister Raila Odinga has eked out a narrow opinion poll lead over Deputy President William Ruto in recent weeks,...
DISPATCHES Vol 63 No 16 | KENYA Tight presidential race shaped by tropes rather than realities 2nd August 2022 Multi-millionaire Deputy President frames the 9 August vote as fight between his 'hustler' army and veteran oligarchs Many in Nairobi's commentariat forecast the presidential election on 9 August will be the closest ever – which is almost certain to trigger appeals and street demonstrations by... READ FOR FREE
Vol 63 No 15 | KENYAUNITED STATES Washington raises its trade offer 21st July 2022 The confirmation by the United States Senate that Hewlett Packard chief executive Margaret Whitman will take over as Washington's Ambassador to Kenya, as the US Commerce department announced...
DISPATCHES Vol 63 No 15 | KENYA Rows over contractors and pollsters sound alarms ahead of August vote 15th July 2022 Odinga camp accuses ballot-printers of secret ties with his opponents as Ruto complains about fake opinion polls Allegations of improper relations between the firm printing the ballot papers for the general elections and Ford-Kenya leader Moses Wetangula, a prominent ally of Deputy President William Ruto,... READ FOR FREE
Vol 63 No 14 | KENYA New coalitions, old faces chase counties 7th July 2022 A mix of business people and political jobbers are eyeing parliamentary seats and plum county governorships The sharpest focus is on the presidential election battle between Raila Odinga and William Ruto, but the 9 August elections will also see some fierce contests in the...
Vol 63 No 13 | KENYA Raila's old clothes 23rd June 2022 Of all the promises made on the campaign trail, Kenyan presidential contender Raila Odinga's plans to curb the import of second-hand clothes, known as mitumba, has caused the...
Vol 63 No 12 | KENYA Now the numbers favour Raila Odinga 9th June 2022 Psephology not ideology informs the rival candidates' campaigns as the election race tightens With few substantive policies in dispute, the presidential election on 9 August between front runners William Ruto and Raila Odinga is testing their capacity to stitch together the...
Vol 63 No 11 | KENYA A running mate scorned 26th May 2022 After weeks of speculation, the running mates selected by presidential aspirants Raila Odinga and William Ruto confirmed what has been apparent for several years: the next president will...
DISPATCHES Vol 63 No 11 | KENYA Martha Karua and Rigathi Gachagua make the cut as running mates 16th May 2022 Presidential contenders Odinga and Ruto both pick their deputies from the Kikuyu heartlands and trigger a fierce rivalry in the region After criticising Kenyan politics as a 'rich boys' club', former Justice Minister Martha Karua has been chosen by Raila Odinga as his running mate ahead of national elections... READ FOR FREE
Vol 63 No 10 | KENYARWANDAUGANDACONGO-KINSHASA Kenya sponsors risky anti-militia plan 12th May 2022 Nairobi has assembled regional states to fight Congolese armed groups, but they include the very countries the groups depend on for aid An agreement by regional governments to form a joint military force to deploy against armed groups in Congo-Kinshasa looks like a diplomatic masterstroke by Kenya, which is coordinating...