Author: Alex

John-Allan Namu is a daring man. Few people have encountered live bullets, seen the real face of war, tracked down drug lords, had threats made on their lives, and still kept at it. Journalism is not for the faint hearted, and it not just a profession for John-Allan, it is a calling. 

The investigative journalist doubles up as the CEO of Africa Uncensored, an investigative and in-depth journalism production house in Nairobi, Kenya.  

He has bagged numerous awards, key among them the coveted CNN MultiChoice African Journalist of the Year Award in 2009.  Last year Africa Uncensored secured a nomination at the international One World Media Awards. 

He is best known for his partnership with Mohammed Ali on Jicho Pevu and Inside Story, a series on KTN that went behind the scenes to uncover stories of corruption and impunity in Kenya. 

It is the drive to keep telling their stories …

At the turn of the new decade just months ago, the world was ecstatic that with it came some good tidings. To the utter shock of many, the first chapter of this decade has come with panic and grief brought about by COVID-19. Since the first case was reported in December 2019 in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, the number of COVID-19 cases has risen globally to 2.7 million with 738,032 recoveries and 190,549 deaths – according to data from the Centre for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University. These figures are from 213 countries with 52 from Africa – only Comoros and Lesotho have not reported a case. Africa has recorded 25,940 cases, 6,968 recoveries and 1,240 deaths.

Alarmed by the potential of the global economy grinding to a halt, African leaders caucusing in Addis Ababa for the African Union’s (AU) 33rd Ordinary Session of the Assembly …

Maria Mukamana, 35, lives in Rugenge village Rusororo sector which is surrounded by miles of swamps and marshlands where she wakes up every morning to do a day’s labour in the rice fields.

She earns less than $1 (Rwf700) a day and spends it all on food for her children with not a penny to save by the end of month.

As a family living in the wetlands — a mosquito breeding ground —at least once in two months one of her family members gets infected with malaria.

The single mother of two children is among the 10million Rwandans who are covered by the Community Based Health Insurance (CBHI) commonly known in Rwanda as mutuelle de sante.

Under the CBHI program Maria can get 90% health care insurance which covers treatment and medication in case she and her children fall sick but this doe snot cover her needs like food …

The East Africa 15 (EA15) highlights on 15 of the most traded and highly capitalized stocks in the region on a monthly basis. The primary purpose of the EA15 is to give investors a description and perspective of the regional stock markets’ performance.

Kenya: Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE)

The monetary policy committee reviewed the Central Bank Rate downward to 8.25% extending the loose monetary stance. The decision was on the back of a stable shilling, inflation remaining within target and improving private sector credit growth- which expanded by 7.1% in the year to December.

Adequate CBK foreign exchange reserve has helped the Kenya shilling to weather short-term shocks against major world currencies. To the US dollar, the shilling averaged lower by 0.74% to Kes100.6 compared to last month with highs of Kes100.4 recorded.

Liquidity improved month-on-month as interbank averaged at 4.4% compared to 4.9%. Short-term debt rates were relatively stable …

Recently, Africa has enjoyed a lot of global attention. Overtures from partners all over the world have been relentless. Africa has had summits with China, Japan and Russia.

To take stock of the importance or lack thereof, it is politic to look at Africa’s continental vision and how international relations could help to realise it. The transformation of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) into the African Union (AU) was not a mere exercise in shorter nomenclature; it signalled a break from some of the imponderable challenges that Africa could not solve through the OAU.

The AU said it differs from the OAU because it envisages “an integrated, prosperous, equitable and well-governed and peaceful United States of Africa, effectively managed by its own citizens and representing a creative and dynamic force in the international arena”. The First Strategic Plan of Action Horizon 2007 was meant to shape strategic relations with …