December 2024 - Uluzon

Controller of Budget petition reveals MPs’ expensive lavish travels.

A recent audit by the Controller of Budget shows that the three arms of government have been indulging in over expenditure on travels with MPs leading in the list. According to the report, the populace has shown little respect to the measures of stringency announced by President William Ruto in the use of public resources.

President Ruto assert commitment to national unity

President William Ruto has been keen on the unity of Kenya and encouraged citizens and leaders to work together for the progress of the country. During a church service and later a road side rally in Bomet County the head of state laid a vision of unity and prosperity, and decried on rightfully politicized history.

Appeal for National Unity

He said, embracing the theme focused on cooperation, leaders need to set priorities and offer direction on how to run the country for the benefit of every citizen. He also called on all citizens to refrain from further polarization and embrace to gather as one since the unity of the country is important.

The President said: I have decided and am determined to unite Kenya to realise that the progress of this nation depends on all of us.

Development Agenda

Listing the achievement of his administration, Ruto urged Kenyans to support the government’s development course. He acknowledged improvement in many sectors, such energy, infrastructure, health care as well as education. The President called on citizens to support these projects that he said could potentially provide employment for the youth and develop the nation.

To make his remarks, Ruto also touched on the progress of other projects that he partly started including the housing sector projects which are on the process of establishment in various market areas in the country. He came out to tell Kenyans that, there were more developments that would happen in the following year.

A Call for Spiritual Renewal

While preaching at Koiwa AIC church the President called on Kenyans to have faith in God and work hard in his service. He urged the congregation to pray for the country peace and success as they plan for the new year-2025.

In his New Year address, Ruto noted that ‘Besides daily endeavors there is God in heaven who has a very big role to play in success, ‘ saying that Kenyans need to think about the challenges conquered and milestones registered in the New Year alone.

Looking Ahead

Looking at the new year message of President Ruto directed especially on unity, development, and spiritual strength will in deed capture the heart of many Kenyans. He said everyone should work together towards the achievement of the goals leading to a prosperous Kenya come year 2025 emphasizing on unity, hard work and faith.

From this point of view, the willingness of people to stay united and continue development is a part of the President’s vision of creating the nation which implies everyone’s contribution to its peaceful and successful evolution.

Coast Hotels Brighten up as Domestic Tourists Head for Special Functions

Most hotels along the coastal region of Kenya have reported an increase in business this festive season as more domestic tourists patronize the area for the Christmas and New Year celebrations. Since many of the clientele are local people, these businesses have designed lively environments to appeal to locals and occasional tourists on holiday throughout the year.

Increased security for the Christmas holidays

There is good news for holidaymakers; the authorities in Mombasa have not relented in putting in place very stern and strict measures to enhance and guarantee the security of tourists. County Commissioner Mohamed Nur said that the security has since been enhanced as it was indicated that this is an organized team of criminals and many security agencies are on the job. Security around hotels, entertainment places, and beaches has been beefed up to ensure that tourist, can celebrate without any internal fears. Beach lovers were also encouraged to clear the beaches early in the morning in order to minimize danger posed by floods.

Travelers Beach Hotel Outright Celebrates the Festive Season

The Travelers Beach Hotel Christmas Eve held was colourful and memorable, as the hotel provided their guests with the best of Christmas. The theme of the venue was “Togetherness and Celebration” inasmuch as everything around resembled this theme. The theme “Across the World in Ten Days” was served to the guests where they got to enjoy some of the most desired food type the hotel possesses.

There was also a live band, which meant that as guests danced and had lots of fun at the event. The event also brought home the hotel’s mission to serve as a place of respite and regeneration, words echoed by the Hotel Sales and Marketing Manager, Carolynne Kurumei of Renaissance.

Popularity of Domestic Tourism

As it was previously realized, Travelers Beach Hotel was popular to the international tourists, but this season the number of domestic depending on the hotels was nearly 80%. In its explanation, the hotel wants it that has been resulted from increased numbers of travelers who are always opting for local holidays coupled with its tradition of offering first class service.

Many of the guests come back to the hotel, be they from within the country or from other countries, this speaks volumes of the noble quality of the hotel and a customer orientated business. As Kurumei stated, the volumes of innovation and the concern on the guest comments are the reasons that have kept customers loyal.

Establishing the Coastal Experience Amongst Guests

Tourists have described the Kenyan Coast as beautiful, welcoming and popular for it cultural events. A wise German visitor Michael Weis admitted the beautiful views and the hospitality of the people though he has been traveling to Mombasa for 30 years.

Other tourists too have complained well built and comfortable facilities. From Makueni County, Julius Mutui also emphasized the hotel’s good location, cleanliness together with sea view rooms that makes the hotel a home away from home.

Future of Coastal Tourism

As the festive season lays down a positive environment, the hotels along the coast expect an improvement in international tourists’ flow in the forthcoming months. January in particular should experience a sharp rise in global tourists to the Kenyan Coast thus affirming this region as premier. With this industry ongoing there is a guarantee that the region will experience ongoing growth because of the support from within and from other countries.

Pope Francis urges a worldwide ceasefire for Christmas

Pope Francis urges a worldwide ceasefire for Christmas.

Peace Amid Conflict

During his recent Christmas speech, Pope Francis called for an end to the war and asked the leaders of countries that are suffering from the war to engage in a dialogue. Addressing thousands of attendees at the St. Peter’s Basilica the pope called for more democracy in political coping with Middle East, Ukraine, and Sudan.

Addressing the Crisis in Gaza

During the occasion, the pope was very much concerned with the Gaza situation that has fated the Christian communities. He appealed for cessation of hostilities and stressed the need to team with the displaced and hungry populace worst affected by war. His request also included freeing of hostage detainees incarcerated in the Gaza strip preeminently illustrating his concern for remedies and reunion.

Advocacy for Ukraine

Speaking during the papal address, Pope Francis spoke of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, in which many people are still suffering. He emphasized the need for talks and diplomacy to smooth the way for just and sustained return. He was urging his audience to take risks in order to bring an end to the fight and bring back tranquility.

Humanitarian Appeal for Sudan

The pope also focused on Sudan a country that has long been ravaged by civil war. He called for increased effort to deliver humanitarian assistance and encourage diplomacy that seeks to put an end to the fighting. The perpetual crisis puts millions in peril of starving, and that is why solidarity is needed now more than ever.

The same call for Disarm for a Universal Appeal.

The message of Pope Francis went further than appealing to certain areas, it became an appeal to end the fighting all over the world. His appeal sought to touch on what was desired most in the world – peace and what was expected of everyone – to care for those in distress across the globe. Pope Francis fleshed out this vision as a world that can be changed from how it is now with conflict and division into a dialogue and compassionate one.

The Year 2024 in Review: A Revolutionary Time in Kenyan History

The year 2024 can be described as a year of dynamism that brought revolutionary change in socio-political, economic and even physical environment in Kenya. From crippling natural disasters to political measures changes and society activism and other struggles and transformational phenomena the country went through the test.

Natural Disasters and the Killer Floods

Kenya was hit by the biggest floods in April 2024 that affected the whole country leaving destruction. Severe floods compelled more than 110000 people to abandon their homes, many houses were washed away, and there were many fatalities. Nairobi informal settlements were among the stricken zones, where the people found themselves huddled on roofs

The Mai Mahiu case brought into perspective the just how severe it can be when water channels are blocked resulting to major flooding that claimed 61 lives. In May the death toll rose to 257, thousands injured and thousands displaced from their homes. Nevertheless, the government was criticized for the poor emergency aid, deficiency of action in disaster prevention and control.

The floods interrupted learning and resulted in education emergencies including damage to education infrastructure, impacting more than 150 schools leading institutions to provide learners affected with fees-waiver. The situation was eased through contribution of Ksh. 2 billion by the UAE but Kenyan citizens did not forgive the government for mishandling of the tragedy.

Finance Bill 2024: A Nation in Uproar

The just introduced Finance Bill 2024 drew a lot of negative public reactions and protests. The Bill that was geared at increasing taxes was regarded as exploitative specifically under a crunch economizing situation. Agriculture, telecommunication, and manufacturing industries expressed some of the concerns arising from adopting it.

The protests referred to as “Occupy Parliament” were initiated in June by a social media group led by gen Z members. Nevertheless, the Bill went through its second reading in parliament thereby eliciting nation-wide protest.

More of the protests were carried on June 25 when some protesters were killed by security forces around the Parliament premises. Sustaining the pressure, President William Ruto declined to endorse the Bill into law but rather sought public opinion. Finally, in July, Parliament threw out the Bill completely, but the bitter memory of the protests framed the nation’s psyche.

A Nation Wakes Up: Church and Civil Society Stands

Protests that followed by introduction of Finance bill pointed to a campaign in the country for accountability and integrity in governance. As churches started opening up leadership, religious heads began terming civil disobedience against poor leadership as acceptable.

for example the Catholic Church among others declined to accept monetary contributions from politicians as a sign of change in the role of the state in relation to religious organizations. It highlighted increasing public interest and concern for ethical leadership, professional and corporate governance in public activities.

School and Health: The right to strike

Education and healthcare workers went on protracted strike in the year because of delayed remunerations and unpaid or unbired demands. Hatred strikes as teachers walked out and doctors stayed away from schools and hospitals across the nation.

University lecturers also went on strike, pointing at embezzlement of funds in public universities. Due to some of the financial problems Moi University was almost closed and supplemented with embezzlement claims.

Healthcare Overhaul: The Unpleasant Change to Taifa Care

In October, the National Health Insurance Fund changed to Social Health Insurance Fund, now referred to as Taifa Care. It was undertaken with the objective of increasing availability of quality health services but was plagued with implementation problems as well as controversy.

Patients on dialysis for example, suffered terrible fates since the hospitals did not accept the NHIF cards but instead demanded cash. Nevertheless, the government was confident in Taifa Care’s capacity to revitalize the healthcare sector at the same time that the process was in shambles.

The Gen Z Movement and a Call for Change

The protests demonstrating against Finance Bill were actually part of bigger transitional trend in Kenya’s civic space. People of Gen Z raised up, taking the social networks as the megaphones to make their concern and demand change heard. This paved way to change and their activism disrupted the old-fashioned practice of powers-that-be that advocated for the improvement of governance for the marginalized.

A Year of Learning and Perseverance

2024 will be named as the year of challenging and transformational changes in human life. Disasters, including fires, floods, and conflicts, as well as social uprisings challenging for Kenya and encouraging development of effective governance and leadership.

President Ruto and AUC Chair Moussa Faki on the Reforms, Leadership Transition in the African Union

Session: High-Level Meeting in Narok County

President William Ruto welcomed African Union Commission (AUC) Chairperson Moussa Faki to Kilgoris, Narok County, for discussions on specific and concrete measures to improve AU. They also discussed the forthcoming elections for the AUC Chairpersonship because it was a critical step change in the leadership of the organization.

Raila Odinga’s Candidacy for AUC Chairperson

Former Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga has listed himself through the African Union (AU) Assembly of Heads of State & Government to be considered for the next AUC Chairperson when Moussa Faki leaves office in 2025. The key issues pegged on Odinga’s campaign are promoting the African continent international voice and vying for two slots on the United Nations Security Council to boost the continental voice on security issues.

The Blessings of President Ruto on different agendas, such as endorsement of Odinga.

Ruto has come out in the open supporting Odinga’s presidential bid and asking Kenyans and the international community to do the same. The support indicates a renewed Kenyan call for increased participation in the African and other global forums.

A Competitive Race

Raila Odinga stands a chance to compete with Djibouti’s Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, and Madagascar’s Richard Randriamandrato, all of whom have started their campaigns to head the AUC. The election is expected to be a defining moment for the AU in terms of defining the organization’s agenda and direction of reforms for the coming years.

Africa’s Drive for Reforms

Ruto’s meeting with Faki goes to show that there is a lot of work to be done when it comes to institutional development for the current African challenges. Possible topics maybe likely to have covered areas such as; improving the operational efficiency of the AU, increasing the financial resources base of the AU, and strengthening the AU’s capacity in managing continental and global challenges.

The elections that are due in AUC offer Africa another chance at entrenching itself as a leader in the international community. As Raila Odinga’s candidature builds up steam and with the support of the incumbent President William Ruto, Kenya steps up to be a key power broker of the African Union. These changes underscore the collective desire of the continent to effect change and improve their representation in decision making bodies around the globe.

High Public Debt Calls for Alarm in Kenya

Debt goes a notch higher than the approved ceiling

Kenya’s public debt has reached severe levels, levels that are way beyond what has been approved by the parliament, that is, 55% of the GDP. This is going by the figures released by the Controller of Budget (COB) for the same financial year putting todays’ debt at 67% of GDP and raising a lot of eyebrows as far as fiscal sustainability is concerned.

In accordance to the National Government Budget Implementation Review Report of the 2022/2023 current fiscal year, Kenya’s public debt stock stood at Ksh. 10.79 trillion on September 2024 and the external debt constitutes 48%, while the domestic debt constitutes 52%. This, in turn, means a 2% increase since June 2024 to add more pressure to the country’s finances.

Out of all the revenues generated, the major portion is used to service debts.

Today the report revealed established that nearly 70 percent of every shilling collected as government revenue, ends up servicing debts. Such payments are considered more important than the other expenditure, hence few resources are available for development and service delivery.

Chronological Analysis of the Debt Ceiling

Parliament in June last year endorsed the new public debt management framework that sought to replace the Ksh.10 trillion cap with the new debt anchor of 55 percent of GDP. Nevertheless, the government has already crossed this limit by 12%, which testifies to the fast velocity of borrowing activity.

Structural Affair and Governance Problem

When discussing the increasing debt, Dr. Nyakang’o called for remedial action and laser sharpened on wastage, corruption, and inefficiency in the manner funds are utilised. Originally, a more radical shift in the processes has been addressed by means of launching the E-Citizen platform which contributes to minimizing some inefficiencies though more thorough reforms are necessary to interrupt the vicious circle of borrowing.

. The Significant of transparency when Making an agreement on Debt.

The High Court has directed the government to make all the debt obligation and sovereign bonds and expenditure breakup for the period public within 45 days. This ruling comes at the backdrop of heightened controversies with so-called “odious debt” – non-concessional international sovereign debts whose utilization lacks demonstrable links to development projects; the public questioned accountability and development benefits to deserves credit.

Campaigning Policies under the Lens

President William Ruto, who vowed to bring down Kenya’s debt levels during his campaign, has come under fire as indebtedness surges more than two years into his presidency. The government bond market shows that public confidence in government’s management of debt has been declining.

The Path Forward

This is because a number of scholars and stakeholders put pressure on the government to take measures to rein in debt levels. Recommendations include:

Reducing wastage and corruption: Reducing extravagancy aspects like purchase of sophisticated Governmental vehicles, enhancing a stronger checks and balances system.

Fostering economic growth: Investing in ways that boost GDP gives the country a way to pay the debts in a bid to minimize the debt-to-GDP ratio.

Enhancing transparency: Including full details of debt arrangements and making sure that money borrowed is tied to worthwhile initiatives.

The amount of public debts is steadily increasing in Kenya, which surely challenges fiscal balance and the nation’s overall growth. Unless the outlined problems are addressed, the country is headed for a debt crisis with dire developmental and political consequences in the future. The government has to show commitment on fiscal discipline, transparency and governance for its general recovery and to ensure that there is sustainably good economic management.

Mozambique Court stands with the disputed election amidst mayhem

Mozambique’s highest court has endorsed the disputed election results returned by the ruling party naming its candidate as the country’s president. The election marred by claims of massive cheating has fueled nearly two months of violent protests; destruction and worsening of political polarization.

The Court’s Ruling

The Constitutional Council of Mozambique said it identified unlawful activities within the election process though they were not material enough to affect the result. This saw the ruling party take charge of the presidency, parliamentarians and provincial government making it the most powerful political force in the country.

A Divided Political Landscape

The opposition and its fans have refused to recognize the court’s decision because they state that there was no fair and open vote. This the opposition with the support of the public has intensified condemning the ruling party of eradicating democracy. However, the ruling of the court has exacerbated the problem of insecurity and amplification of acts of vandalism and breakdown of law and order leading to formation of different factions in the country.

Post-Election Unrest

Mass protests began after the results were announced and they remain sustained to the present. Protests have gone ugly with violence using state security forces leading to loss of lives and injuries among protesters. This is the reason that main streets in big cities have torn and photos of perceived poll rigging remain unchanged.

Governance and Accountability

In this regard, the ruling party has a major responsibility due to its influence over major government parastatals. The new declared president has the problem of presiding over a country that suffers from a lack of trust, and the commitment to fulfill the part of the promises declaring the intentions to introduce changes that concerns the voting and the democratic processes’ flaws.

Human Rights Concerns

Human Rights organizations condemned this action taken by the government in the wake of the protests. The state authorities are concerned by the media accounts of use of force when discharging their duties, arbitrary arrests, and crackdown on peaceful protests. These actions have process further the image of the government to the internal and external societies.

Implications for Mozambique

Essentially, the Court has proffered a prescription with a potential bearing for Mozambique’s political destiny. The country is now at a critical juncture where the principles of democracy and the people’s confidence on democratic institutions are at the center of the next battle. Thus, without corresponding attempts at satisfying the demands of the opposition supporters or the general populace, Mozambique is likely to become politically unstable for a long time.

The election that took place in Mozambique and its subsequent events demonstrate how vulnerable the country’s democracy is. The conflictual course of the procedure and the following tensions prove the necessity of the modifications that aim at increasing the openness, involvement, and responsibility of governing systems. There is no clear way forward for this country unless its leaders begin to map out the difficult ways in which they will need to heal a divided society and begin the process of rebuilding the institutions that the citizens of this country have lost faith in.

The Diaspora Bond Proposal in Kenya: A State of Affairs Debates

The recent Kenya’s attempted to bring into context a financing model in the form of diaspora bond for infrastructure has raised stir among the citizens in the country and across the globe. Unveiled by the then Prime, Cabinet Secretary, Musalia Mudavadi during the Diaspora Day celebration held at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC). The program is meant to harness on the remittances from the Diaspora, which stands at a record $4billion (Sh520 billion from January to October 2024.

The government hopes that these funds will be used to fund infrastructure projects that can transform the country such as highways, power plants and water systems with a view of cutting on foreign expensive loans hence encouraging economic self reliance.

Government’s Vision

The government believes that diaspora remittance that currently stands at $7 billion could hit Sh1 trillion by 2027 to cement the shilling and boost development. The diaspora bond is aimed at mobilizing low cost funds as a source of financing as well as providing Kenyans living in foreign countries with a secure investment outlet.

Support for the Proposal

Some have noted that this is a one of a kind chance for Kenya to institutionalize a new source of incremental funding, thus easing fiscal stress. Explaining the nature of the scheme, financial gurus have viewed the initiative as a better prospect to foreign loans through considering following benefits; Lower rate of lending compare to foreign loans, Long repayment period for the borrow.

Such high remittance numbers depict the financial might of diaspora, which has substantially funded health, education, housing and most areas of rural development. Some of them involved with this issue hope to see this impact taken to national projects so as to facilitate development and reap the benefits in the long-run.

Concerns and Criticism

However, some people have questioned it, and so it has not been implemented as proposed below: Skeptics argue that Kenya has a history of embezzlement of public funds; the government’s capacity to realize its identified projects is questionable.

Critics attributed the social bond could raised Kenya’s high public debt if corruption is not tackled and checks instituted. But there were also questions about what precisely the bond would bring to investors and the entire economy.

Opportunities and Challenges

The diaspora bond’s success depends on several factors:

Transparency: The valiant effort sheds particularity to a definition of term and the implementation of such to keep investor confidence intact and in due course, update as needs be.

Accountability: A strong framework to check cases of embezzlement and fraud.

Delivery: To familiarise clients with our services and establish credibility, timely and effective implementation of projects.

Investor Trust: To persuade the diaspora that their hard earned money will lead to developmental changes for the better.

Countries such as Israel and India have also applied diaspora bonds and hence the case for Kenya is feasible. Nevertheless, the challenge that is likely to persist is trust because it was eroded in previous management of similar projects.

The idea of Kenyan diaspora bond is an indicative of the government of Kenya’s quest to mobilise the financial resource of the diaspora community for the nation’s development. That said, the opportunity to provide access to more innovative funding sources is commendable and could be boosted by optimizing such factors as the state’s capacity to resolve the existing concerns on transparency and accountability of project implementation.

The debate a manifestation of a more general and recurring problem in economic development trying to strike the right balance between the ambitious goal and the need to be credible and attract investors. If well implemented, the diaspora bond could change the way and manner of financing infrastructure in Kenya and open a new chapter of financing infrastructure within the country.

Honda and Nissan to Begin Merger Talks: A Game-Changer for EV Market?

Japanese Titans Join Forces

Two Japan based automobile giants, Honda and Nissan, the second and third largest car manufacturers, are set to begin a possible merger in order to counter the increasing threat posed by the EV market. This proposed linkage with Mitsubishi Motors on the table could alter the global auto industry and produce the third-largest auto making company around the world.

Catching Up with Rivals

It puts pressure on traditional car makers such as Honda and Nissan as Chinese EV brands such as BYD, start dominating the market as well as Tesla, an internationally recognized brand. A merger would accelerate their EV and self-driving technologies progression and provide the needed support for Nissan, which guilty of declining profits and multiple job cuts recently.

Not an Equal Partnership

Honda seems to be taking the lead here. The head of the new holding company will be appointed by Honda and the majority of members of the board of directors. Currently, Nissan’s subsidiary Mitsubishi Motors might affiliate with the alliance from 2024.

What Goes Around Comes Around: Nissan’s Struggles Expound on the Stakes

Today’s Nissan was once considered as one of the global automotive giants, but it recently has been struggling; for instance, it recorded a 93% decline in profits in the financial year and it also resorted to job shedding recently. Honda is said to be contemplating the notion of a turnaround before going full-throttle on a merger.

China and EVs: A Tough Battlefield

China is now the biggest car exporter after leaving behind Japan with the help of government-supported EV projects. The Japanese car makers find themselves under intense pressure from emerging titans from China like BYD and hence the call for innovation and scale.

Where Is Foxconn’s Interest In The Mix?

Stirring more drama, the Taiwanese electronics manufacturing giant Foxconn, the company that makes Apple’s iPhones, is said to have expressed its interest in Nissan, and asked Renault to sell the 35% it owned.

Ghosn Weighs In

Nissan’s former boss now in exile in Lebanon, Carlos Ghosn, potrayed the move as desperate by the company. “This partnership indicates that they are desperate,” he said while also arguing for the lack of strategic fit between the two companies.

Why It Matters

The automotive sector is changing at a very dynamic rate and so is the automotive industry. The alliance between Honda and Nissan could elevate Japan’s standings in EVs and battery tech so that they stay relevant worldwide. It could be this bold move that is needed as governments globally promote greener alternatives to keep companies in the race.