Global Archives

President Ruto Resuscitates SGR, Vows to Extend it to Uganda, Rwanda, and DRC

The president of Kenya, William Ruto, has stated his government is plotting to expand the SGR from Naivasha to Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo as part of a strategy to deepen integration of the East African region.

Equity CEO Dr. James Mwangi Voted to the World Bank Jobs Advisory Committee

Dr James Mwangi, Group Managing Director and CEO Equity Group Holdings has been named on the World Bank Group’s High-Level Advisory Council on Jobs. The council was launched formally in 2024 World Bank Group IMF Annual Meeting and is responsible for responding to global job creation deficit with special focus on youth and women employment in the developing world.

Expressing his gratitude, Dr. Mwangi said:

It has been a privilege to be invited to sit on the World Bank Global Jobs Council in a bid to help create employment for the youths of Africa. Young people are the future and agents of change for sustainable development for the continent.”

He brought awareness about this role and its correlation with Equity’s Africa Recovery and Resilience Plan through which the company seeks to generate 50 million jobs across Africa within 2030. Dr. Mwangi intends to use this program with recommendations on the same from the council to have the best results.

Roles and Purpose of a Council

The council is co-chaired by Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet. The program is meant to respond to the escalating levels of unemployment in the Global South as the region is expected to welcome 1.2 billion working-age population by 2030. In this regard, using winning strategies that are easily expandable, the council aims at facing poverty and unemployment issues as well.

The World’s Resources to Enhance Our Region

Dr Mwangi is among newly elected 14 leaders on the council who shall bring their experience in policy making for changes in employment spheres globally. In their invitation, the council’s leadership emphasized the importance of his contributions:

“We would be immensely grateful to receive your insights and experience coming right from the Council membership.”

Dr Mwagi’s involvement further confirms that Africans able to capitalize on demographic dividend and Equities groups believe in empowering youths for sustainable development throughout Africa.

Premier League Round-Up: Liverpool Stay Top, Arsenal Bridge the Gap

Liverpool’s Premier League lead has now been reduced to seven points after squandering a three-goal lead to secure just a draw at Newcastle United’s St. James’ Park. Mohamed Salah scored twice and took his goal tally for the season to 15 goals at Anfield but Caoimhinn Kelleher’s blunder in the final minutes gifted Fabian Schar the equalizer. Liverpool, who went into the match as the underdog, had their 15-game winning streak in league and domestic cup competitions under Arne Slot snapped for only the third time of the calendar year at Anfield.

Arsenal Take Advantage

Liverpool’s slip out was well exploited by Arsenal who went on to beat Manchester United 2-0, this was the first loss for Ruben Amorim who was United’s new manager. Two out of the three goals which include a goal by Jurrien Timber and the second goal by William Saliba where from set- pieces and demonstrated Arsenal’s strengths in aerial duels. Manager Mikel Arteta attributed the team’s form to say, “We scored two set-pieces, but we could’ve scored from open play many more.”

Chelsea’s Dominant Display

Chelsea rose to the second place with a comfortable 5-1 victory over a ten-man Southampton. Axel Disasi, Christopher Nkunku, Noni Madueke, Cole Palmer, and Jadon Sancho put Southampton to the sword with a devastating display with the icing on the cake being a bizarre red card for Jack Stephens for pulling Marc Cucurella’s hair.

Manchester City finally escaped the grasp of a record-equaling string of games without a victory.

Kevin De Bruyne came back and spearheaded Manchester City to a 3-0 victory against Nottingham Forest to break the seven-game losing streak. De Bruyne set up Bernardo Silva and put in a goal himself before a Jeremy Doku goal to make it 5-2. Manager Pep Guardiola hailed the performance of the Belgian, adding that the result was the team’s way of ending their struggling streak.

Other Results

The Bosman cleared its winless record with a 3-1 win over Brentford after goals from Morgan Rogers, Olufela Olamide, and Matty Cash.

Everton won 4-0 against Wolves helped by two own goals by Craig Dawson helping Everton to 5 points away from the relegation zone.

The fascinating matchday has established the battle line and will see the league entering the half-way move with plenty to fight for.

Spotify Wrapped 2024: Bien dominates Kenyan artists streams

Spotify Wrapped 2024 has placed Bien Aime-Baraza, the former lead singer of the band Sauti Solo as the most streamed artist in Kenya, thus a revolution in Kenyan music. Bien’s rise dislodged the year’s previous wunderkinds, the rap trio Wakadinali who now occupy second place with Sauti Sol in third place.

Bien’s Dominance

Bien is still enjoying his solo life performance as he has positioned himself to have four among the most streamed Kenyan songs. In lifestyle and Inauma, he was at his best and shows he’s a man for all seasons. They also received popularity in his features such as Extra Pressure with Bensoul.

Top Streamed Kenyan Tracks

Lil Maina, sosatheprodigyy, – NAKAM SAI

Bien – Lifestyle

Bensoul/Bien – Extra Pressure

From The Hood Music – Anguka Nayo

Bien – Inauma

Bien – Ma Cherie

YBW Smith – Lele

Dyana Cods – Set It

Matata – Oversized T-shirt

Fancy Fingers Featuring Kudade – Kudade (Fancy Fingers Refix)

Global Music Scene

Globally, Taylor Swift remained on top of list of the most streamed artists, while the second most streamed artist is The Weeknd followed by Bad Bunny.

Podcasts and Kenyan Content

Some of the most listened to shows included The 97s Podcast for Kenya, So This Is Love and The Mkurugenzi Podcast. Internationally and finally, The Diary of a CEO by Steven Bartlett was notable as well.

Kenyan Genres Shine Globally

There has been an increase in the release of Kenyan music, and Spotify Wrapped 2024 was such a great reminder. Afro Beat, Gengetone, and Afro Pop festivals made it to the charts.

Bien’s triumph is not only a feather in his cap but also a sign of change that Kenya’s music industry experiences in retaining its influence in attracting the audience locally, and internationally.

Nairobi county has not recorded any development spending as it struggles to clear outstanding bills.

A report from the CoB disclosed embarrassing trends of financial practices within Kenyan counties as it was established that Nairobi County made no provision to spend on development in the first quarter of the financial year ending October. This puts it in the basket of ten counties, such as Kajiado, Baringo, Lamu, and the rest that did not allocate for development projects during the period.

On this note, we examined the Development Expenditure of the selected countries with a view to identifying contrasts.

While Nairobi County made no improvement in development expenditure, other counties showed good investment on development. Narok led by Governor Patrick Ole Ntutu accounted for Ksh.477 million, Kirinyaga governor Anne Waiguru Ksh.378 million and Busia Paul Otuoma Ksh.328 million. These allocations reveal inequality with regard to the priority that different counties accord to governance.

The Burden of Pending Bills

Prevailing unpaid invoices rates stand at Ksh.121 billion while Nairobi County has the highest figure in the country. Other counties also feel the bite of huge debts, with Garissa leading at Ksh.6 billion, Kiambu at Ksh.5.9 billion and Turkana at Ksh.4.8 billion. The Senate has said that before governors pay for other expenses, they should meet all their bills that are in the pipeline.

Call for Accountability

The CoB’s report has also revealed that most county governments require increased supervision and timely fashioning of sound financial management practices. Given that development expenditure is paramount to enhancing infrastructural and service delivery, lack of investment by counties poses a big slope towards stagnation of growth and loss of public confidence.

Governor Johnson Sakaja and other leaders on the receiving end are between the devil and the deep end on how to tackle monumental inefficiencies and guarantee that public resources deliver value to their people.

Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah: Namibia’s First Female President

Namibia’s first female president, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, was recently elected through a victory that saw her clinch 57 percent of the votes. Such is the life biography of this woman who went from being a freedom fighter to a head of state.

Analyzing the Life of a Strong Activist and Political Reformer

Nandi-Ndaitwah who was born in Onamutai, Namibia, then under South Africa occupation in 1952 started participating in the liberation movement Swapo at the age of fourteen years. It has to be mentioned that as a member of Swapo’s youth league she was engaged in the fight for Namibia’s liberation. Her activism caused her to be arrested and later exiled from Swaziland, she continued the struggle from Zambia and Tanzania before she pursue a degree in International Relations in the United Kingdom.

Back in Namibia after independence in 1990, Nandi-Ndaitwah served in numerous minister positions in the Swapo party administration, among them in foreign affair, tourism and social welfare ministry. She is recognized for her campaigning on women’s issues; she supported the Combating of Domestic Violence Act in 2002.

Challenges and Vision

Election of Nandi-Ndaitwah is not without controversy. Her main challenger, Panduleni Itula, has dismissed the outcome attributing his loss to organisational problems and has vowed to seek legal redress. Nonetheless, she is the first female president, and thus a prime example of the scarce female presence in the Namibia’s heavily manned political field.

Leadership and Legacy

As a pragmatic leader, she has vowed to steer development of Namibia’s economy, Thompson added. One of Namibia’s fiercest critics of sexism, she once publicly rebuked her male colleagues for Swapo’s constitutional obligation of gender equity. Her hands-on approach resonates with her declaration: That is why I am not a storyteller but an implementer.

Namibia has finally entered a new era with Nandi-Ndaitwah becoming the first female president of the nation.

Tanzania’s Amsons Group buys Bamburi Cement in a $538 million cross-border deal

Tanzania’s Amsons Group has successfully completed the acquisition of the Kenyan Bamburi Cement, a main player of the East African cement market, after the withdraw of its rival Savannah Clinker company from the bidding process.

A Strategic Move for Amsons

The $1bn-plus worldwide family business, Amsons Group Limited, signed the contract through its Kenya-based subsidiary, Amsons Industries Kenya Limited. The group had proposed Ksh.23.9 billion in July to fully manage Bamburi Cement through buying 100% of the firm, largely owned by Holcim, based in Switzerland with 58.6% stake.

This has now been approved by the Kenyan Mining Ministry and the COMESA Competition Commission which makes the deal authentic.

‘This milestone proves the solidity and reliability of our proposition,’ stated the Amsons CEO Edha Nahdi in a statement, who added that the company is focused on bringing value for shareholders of Bamburi Cement.

Bamburi Cement: A Coveted Asset

Founded in the early seventies, Bamburi Cement Company is a stock quoted company that has been at the forefront of construction industry in Kenya. Its sale to Amsons complements Holcim’s global divestment plan and concentrates on fast-growing economies especially in North America. The approval of this deal comes days after Holcim said it planned to sell its 84% stake in its Nigerian subsidiary Lafarge Africa for $1bn.

List of Articles: Savannah Clinker’s Sudden Exit

Initially, Kenya based firm Savannah Clinker, owned by Benson Ndeta, had offered higher bid of Ksh. 25.4 billion for Bamburi. Savannah deposited Ksh. 5 billion and also proposed to give Ksh. 1.8 billion as further incentive for shareholders.

Nevertheless, Ndeta’s implication in a Ksh. 700 million fraud alleged deal made things worse. The businessman was also captured by the police and charged with conspiracy and forgery but he was not guilty to any of the charges. Although he was discharged unconditionally on a High Court order, the issue cast aspersions over the credibility of Savannah’s bid.

Implications for the Industry

The investment by Amsons Group is a unique cross-border investment in Kenya, which demonstrates confidence in the country’s industrialization process despite the current wavering economic performance.

For Bamburi Cement this may mean a new era of growth under its new owners Amsons which has a large conglomerate in Tanzania in manufacturing, petroleum and logistics.

With the opportunities of entering the new market segments, exiting the business-related challenges, as well as expanding a successful into East Africa and consolidating its position there, Amsons is expected to close the deal by December 5.

Box Office Bonanza: ’Moana 2’ claims Thanksgiving records with $28 Million on its first day.

Box Office Bonanza: ’Moana 2’ claims Thanksgiving records with $28 Million on its first day

Disney again and again gives their fans every movie they crave for and Moana 2 did wash over the platforms as it earned $28 million on Thanksgiving Day. This performance not only guarantees the animated film high records, but also revives the movie industry which has had a difficult few years.

A Historic Holiday Run

Eva celebrates Thanksgiving holiday, and it will easily gross more than $175 million within the Thanksgiving five days period to erase pre-existing records. These include Frozen II’s $125 million in 2019 and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire with $109 million in 2013. Observers in the industry are optimistic that it could gross over $200 million domestically by the weekend. It has grossed $85.5 million in domestic territories and has become the highest-grossing Thanksgiving release ahead of the $15 million opening-day record held by Frozen II.

A Boost for the Box Office

This is not to mean that the success of Moana 2 is happening just anywhere in isolation. Audiences are also coming to see Universal’s Wicked and Paramount’s Gladiator II, two other hits which opened just one week prior.

Wicked: The Broadway adaptation earned $16.9 million on its Thanksgiving, the five days estimate $105.6 million. It also cost a significant amount of money to produce costing $300 million making it the first part of a two part film.

Gladiator II: The follow up to the much acclaimed 2000 epic sci-fipic cashed $6.7m on Thanksgiving and should gross $45m during the Thanksgiving season. This is another massive risk for Paramount as this film was made for $250 million out of their $500 million budget.

Gladiator II is expected to earn $112.2m in the domestic market by Sunday; Wicked could gross as much as $250.6m in North America.

Star Suite – Von Streamingstar zum Kinoallstars

Moana 2 was once planned for Disney+ but then it switched to the feature Moana format. The first Moana released in 2016 grossed $687.2 million all over the world, but the film really found its success in streaming, becoming one of the most popular movies in Disney+. This streaming success convinced Disney that a sequel could emerge in theaters—and the success has paid off.

On Revitalising the Experience of Theatre

The victories of these play hits couldn’t have arrived at the theaters at a perfect moment. There is nothing worse than when the COVID-19 pandemic and industry-wide strikes in recent years have not allowed you to regain the occupancy.” Indications of a much-awaited recovery have been observed with the start of business during Thanksgiving.

Future Problems and Opportunities of the Successful Holiday Season
While people were getting their turkey fix with a string of blockbuster movies in Thanksgiving, the holiday season itself is not very rich in this regard. Big names like Paramount’s Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Disney’s Mufasa: The Lion King will arrive in December, but there isn’t an Avatar-like follow-up or a big Marvel movie.

The Verdict: A New Chapter for Theaters

The astounding sales figured in Moana 2 are therefore indicative of what most industry insiders and analysts have long been waiting for – a new dawn for the film business as the audience comes back in droves to get their fix of quality movies. But as Thanksgiving starts it off, it is yet to be seen if the playing field can be sustained throughout the leaner winter season.

Amorim’s Home Debut Fuels Manchester United Recovery in a Dramatic Europa League Match

Hojlund returned to the spotlight with two goals as United beats Bodo/Glimt 3-2.

This new Old Trafford era gets off to a winning start for Ruben Amorim.

Manchester United loses to Bodo/Glimt in Ruben Amorim’s first home game as manager Thursday night 3-2 in Europa League. Rasmus Hojlund emerged the star man, scoring a decisive double and helping his side record back-to-back victory in the tournament after sacking Erik ten Hag.

The result gives a much-needed lift to United after their stuttering start to their Europa League title defence having drawn their first three group stage matches.

Half the stadium doesn’t know me — I came from Portugal and I have done nothing for this club yet! It will help them and their hard work But the feeling of being at home that they gave me is special,” Amorim said at the end of the match.

A First Half of Chaos Takes Centre Stage at Old Trafford

United did not take too long to come out of their shells and they opened the score in less than a minute. Spectating goalkeeper Nikita Haikin was stunned by a back-pass pressure and caused a blockage by Hojlund. Ortiz then blundered to concede an own goal with Garnacho, the beneficiary, scoring an open-net shot.

But nervy shortcomings were soon evident as Bodo/Glimt scored twice in a matter of minutes. United was left stunned when Hakon Evjen equalized in the 19th minute and then Philip Zinckernagel scored a composed finish four minutes later.

A great piece of play from Hojlund right before half time helped restore parity of the score. A nice piece of skill and a shot into the bottom right corner from a passing cross by Noussair Mazraoui gave motion to the stillness that was pretty much the proceeding minutes.

How the Second-Half Enable the Victory

The home side were back in front after just five minutes of the restart. A fine through ball from Manuel Ugarte gave Hojlund the simplest of tasks to tap in and make the home fans’ joy complete.

There was still a fair amount of nervy moments here and there for the cannons – such as goalkeeper Andre Onana handling the ball outside the box, though escaped a red card. However Osman’s side stood their grounds to give a good start to new manager at Old Trafford.

Roma Hands Tottenham Late Blow as Both Teams End 2-2

In other London match, Tottenham Hotspur lost to Roma 2-2. Mats Hummels provided the tort to Tottenham’s supporters when he equalized for the Italian side in the nick of the final whistle.

Spurs got off the block on the early side through a penalty from Son Heung-min after the foul on Pape Matar Sarr. Evan Ndicka performed well in equalising from a Paulo Dybala free kick, but Brennan Johnson shone again as he scored for the London side before half time.

Roma Hands Tottenham Late Blow as Both Teams End 2-2

In other London match, Tottenham Hotspur lost to Roma 2-2. Mats Hummels provided the tort to Tottenham’s supporters when he equalized for the Italian side in the nick of the final whistle.

Throughout the second half, Spurs had most of the possession but could not quite secure a victory; indeed, in the final minutes, Hummels netted home to leave Spurs’ Ange Postecoglou outside of the top eight due to goal difference.

“We should have had a better handle on ourselves,” said Postecoglou. “We had opportunities that were saved off the line and it kept them alive.”

Other Europa League Highlights

First, Athletic Bilbao dominated Elfsborg, winning 3-0, they are now equal with Lazio, who lost points after settling for a 0-0 draw against Ludogorets.

Eintracht Frankfurt clinched a 2-1 victory over Midtjylland in Denmark; the team’s sixth straight victory was provided by a penalty shot by Omar Marmoush.

Victor Osimhen of Galatasary was on the swell again, securing his seventh goal in his seventh consecutive match. But as it turns out, a 1-1 stalemate with the Dutch side, Alkmaar AZ plunge the Turkish giants back two points behind the group leaders.

Lyon rose to seventh after a 4-1 whomping of Qarabag in Baku, thanks to Georgia-born striker Georges Mikautadze’s brace.

Rangers continue to battle in domestic leagues, but overwhelmed their opponents with a four-one triumph, helping them solidify their standing in the group.

Chelsea on Marches again with the fourth consecutive victory.

Chelsea extended on their winning streak in the Conference League with a clear 2-0 win, impressive performances by Christopher Nkunku and Mykhailo Mudryk.

Nkunku put Dortmund in the lead on the first half of the second half after he had Marketed a cross of Jadon Sancho and scored a splendid goal in the top side of the goal area. Filip Jorgensen, Chelsea’s goalkeeper, secured the game with a double save to prevent the visitors from scoring and Mudryk put the final nail in the visitors’ coffin with a neat turn and finish during added time after a fine one-two with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.

Europa League: The Way Forward

As the stakes for the group stages rise, everyone will be focusing on qualification chances with Manchester United gaining form under Ruben Amorim and other main contenders Tottenham, Lazio and Eintracht Frankfurt.

Opposition mounts pressure to government over Namibia Election Delays

Problems In voting Arrangement and Extensions Give Rise to argumentative Appeals for the Change of the Electoral System.

Elections Key to Namibia’s Future is Marred by Growing Tensions as the Date Draws Near

Namibia’s tightly contested presidential and legislative elections have fallen into disarray as voting was extended for a second time due to massive organisational blunders. The opposition parties say they have been let down by the electoral commission and have accused it of deliberately suppressing the number of voters which they say has reached 1.2 million.

The election will be a litmus test of the ruling South West Africa People’s Organization (SWAPO), which has been in power for the past three and a half decades since the country’s independence 34 years ago. However, rising frustration of youth due to high joblessness and other disparities has presented the biggest test to the liberation struggle party.

Voters suffer long winding queues and failure of some of the voting equipment.

Out of them only 1.5 million were required to vote in the election and as we have seen it was operation problems which hindered the process. Only those able to queue for over 12 hours of voting felt their voice counted as polling stations witnessed more voters than anticipated.

The participated Namibia’s Electoral Commission (ECN) also some stations opened voting up until Thursday while the 36 stations were to open voting until Friday and Saturday. However, the decision has not worked to eliminate frustrations.

The ECN admitted to a host of issues, including:

Lack of ballot papers that was caused by underestimation of the number of voters.

Verification tablets working overtime, a glaring threat to voter registration process.

It’s utter mayhem as torches go up in smokeputting officials in a position where they cannot examine invisible ink that is used to confirm voters.

Mobile voting teams departing early forcing some of the voters to be left behind for hours.

Accusations about Voter Suppression

Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) leading other opposition parties accused the ECN of deliberately complicating the voting process. Depending on its official Christine Aochamus, IPC said, “We are confident the ECN is taking sides and is against voters.”

McHenry Venaani, the leader of the Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) opposed these targeted extensions noting that, “You cannot do this piecemeal.” Since it is a national resource the whole country is affected. Democracy tells everyone ‘You all should be given an equal opportunity to vote’.

The SWAPO will face it most stiff competition that is must struggle to come to terms at the polls.

SWAPO which formerly held monopoly in the elections is on the receiving end of a youthful, dissatisfied population looking for change. These elections have raised leadership issues in the party, and there was a high level of demand for the party to explain itself following the elections.

The allegations of voter suppression have been made by the opposition at the background of fears that delays and irregularities may jeopardize the credibility of the electoral process.

He said ECN had no substitution plans for key suppliers and that it was under pressure to restore investor confidence.

The ECN has been receiving a lot of criticism over the management of this election. Namibia’s opposition leaders maintain that though the commission attributed these to logistical difficulties, such failures diminish credibility of the votes in the country’s polls.

The ECN faces these challenges as Namibia’s democratic institutions are tested; its capacity in handling these issues will determine Namibia’s political destiny.

What’s Next for Namibia?

These election delays’ consequences have brought into focus Namibia’s electoral system dire need for reform. As the country waits for the result, people and politicians are demanding the results and pledge that the democracy was free and fair.