Kenya - The African Mirror

Dec

14

2023

Kenya to scrap visas for all visitors, president says

VISITORS to Kenya from across the world will no longer require a visa from January, President William Ruto said. Ruto said his government had developed a digital platform to ensure all visitors would receive an electronic travel authorisation in advance, instead of needing to apply for a visa. "It shall no longer be necessary for any person from any corner of the globe to carry the burden of applying for a visa to come to Kenya," he said in a speech in the capital Nairobi at an event to mark 60 years of independence from Britain. Ruto has long advocated…

Dec

12

2023

By The African Mirror

Kenya at 60: the shameful truth about British colonial abuse and how it was covered up

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP, EDITORS CHOICE

IT is fairly well known that the lives of hundreds of thousands of Kenyans were affected by terrible acts of violence under the British colonial administration. The British government and King Charles have acknowledged it, and some victims of violence have taken the British government to court for these crimes. AOIFE DUFFY, Senior Lecturer, University of Essex Less known is how much the British imperialist government tried to cover up these violations. My research reveals how harsh British detention camps in Kenya were, and the extremes to which the colonialists went to conceal information about this. Much of this violence…

Dec

01

2023

By The African Mirror

Death toll from Kenya’s El Nino floods jumps to 120

NEWS

SEVERE flooding caused by the El Nino weather phenomenon has killed 120 people in Kenya, while people in almost 90,000 households have been forced to leave their homes, the government said. The latest estimated death toll in Kenya has doubled as heavy seasonal rains following the worst drought in four decades have submerged towns and villages across East Africa, rendering hundreds of thousands of people homeless. Thousands of homes have been washed away or are marooned, while farmland has been submerged and tens of thousands of livestock drowned, aid agencies said. In neighbouring Somalia floods have killed at least 96 people and…

Nov

29

2023

By The African Mirror

Kenyan court strikes down housing levy, stays ruling until Jan 10

BUSINESS

KENYA'S High Court declared unconstitutional a 1.5% levy intended to fund affordable housing that was imposed as part of a finance law adopted in June but later stayed the ruling until January 10 to allow for the government to appeal. The law, which also doubled the fuel tax and increased the top income tax rate, sparked violent protests in July by opponents who said it would further squeeze households at a time of rising living costs. In its ruling, the court said the government had not provided a rational explanation for why it had imposed the housing levy only on workers with…

Nov

24

2023

By DUNCAN MIRIRI

Kenya to sell 35 state companies as Africa seeks to jumpstart IPOs

BUSINESS

KENYA'S President William Ruto said the government was poised to privatise 35 state companies after enacting a law last month to guide the process. Kenya last privatised a state-owned company in 2008 with an initial public offering (IPO) for 25% of the shares in telecommunications firm Safaricom. "We have identified the first 35 companies that we are going to offer to the private sector. We have another close to 100 we are working with financial advisers on what to do," Ruto said in remarks at the opening ceremony of the African Stock Exchanges Association's annual meeting in Nairobi. Finance Minister…

Nov

23

2023

By The African Mirror

Kenya’s stock market has suffered steepest losses in the world: an expert view on why and how to reverse it

BUSINESS

KENYA’S stock market recently suffered steep losses, making it the worst-performing globally. The weak performance has persisted: the Nairobi Securities Exchange 20-share index stood at about 1420 on 10 November 2023, having fallen from 1509 on 29 September 2023, a drop of 6% over the six-week period. In better days, the index has risen above the psychological 5000 mark: for example, it was 5491 on 23 February 2015. ODONGO KODONGO, Associate professor, Finance, University of the Witwatersrand The stock market matters for the Kenyan public for several reasons. First, up to 70% of the retirement savings of Kenyans may be…

Nov

22

2023

By The African Mirror

World Bank sees $12 billion support to Kenya over next 3 years

BUSINESS

THE World Bank said that it foresaw $12 billion of support to Kenya over the next three years, potentially a major boost to the East African country's strained finances. The bank said in a statement that the total amount was subject to the approval of its executive directors and other factors that could influence its lending capacity. Kenya's public finances have been pressured by the legacy of the COVID-19 pandemic and frequent climate change-induced droughts. "The World Bank is fully committed to supporting Kenya in its journey to become an upper-middle-income country by 2030," the statement said. "Subject to the…

Nov

19

2023

By The African Mirror

Kenya could lose up to 7.25% of GDP to climate change, World Bank says

BUSINESS

KENYA could lose up to 7.25% of economic output by 2050 if it does not take strong action to adapt to climate change and mitigate its effects, the World Bank said. Like other so-called frontier economies, the East African nation has been suffering from the effects of global heating, including prolonged droughts, in recent years. "By 2050, inaction against climate change could result in a decline in real GDP of 3.61–7.25 percent," the World Bank said in a new publication called Kenya Country Climate and Development Report. "The impact of climate change on the economy could be partly buffered by…

Nov

19

2023

By The African Mirror

Kenya’s rail operator halts cargo services to Mombasa port after floods

NEWS

FLOODING and landslides in Kenya's coastal region have halted rail cargo services to and from the port city of Mombasa, the state-owned rail operator said. Heavy rains linked to the El Nino phenomenon, followed by flash floods, have submerged towns across East Africa, leaving hundreds of thousands of people homeless. In Kenya, the death toll from the floods stands at at least 46 and is expected to rise. Floods and a landslide on the railway line between the capital Nairobi and Mombasa have forced Kenya Railways to close all-cargo services, it said in a statement. The railway also moves cargo to other…

Nov

17

2023

By The African Mirror

Kenya’s parliament approves police deployment to Haiti

NEWS

KENYAN lawmakers voted to support a request to deploy hundreds of police officers to Haiti in a U.N.-approved mission aimed at helping the Caribbean nation tackle gang violence. In July, Kenya pledged to offer 1,000 police officers after Haiti appealed for international help with security personnel to assist in its battle against gangs blamed for spiralling violence. But in early October an opposition party went to court and got an order suspending the deployment. It claimed the plan did not involve public participation and was also unconstitutional because only the military could be deployed outside the country. Parliament's deputy speaker…