One World

  by  John M Wambugu  2023 In many parts of the world, LGBTQ people continue to face discrimination, rejection, and violence simply because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. In Kenya, many members of the LGBTQ community live in fear every day. While some people may think this violence is rare, the truth is that many cases go unreported because victims fear being attacked, arrested, rejected by their families, or humiliated by society. Kenya remains a deeply conservative society where same-sex relationships are still heavily stigmatized. Although the country’s constitution protects human dignity and freedom, many LGBTQ people continue to experience harassment, threats, physical attacks, and emotional abuse. Some are rejected by their families, chased away from their homes, dismissed from jobs, or attacked by mobs after their identity becomes known. One of the biggest challenges LGBTQ people face in Kenya is silence. Many victims never report the violence t...

By John Muthoga Wambugu In many Kenyan communities, family is considered the strongest foundation of identity, belonging, and support. It is within the family structure that individuals are raised, guided, protected, and prepared for life in society. However, for many LGBTQ individuals in Kenya, this same foundation can become the source of deep pain, rejection, and emotional isolation. “Rejected by Family, Condemned by Society” reflects the lived reality of many LGBTQ persons who struggle to find acceptance both at home and in the wider community. For years, I have engaged in LGBTQ advocacy and human rights discussions, and one of the most consistent patterns I have encountered is the emotional suffering caused by rejection from family members. In many cases, when an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity becomes known, the response is often confusion, disappointment, anger, or denial. Families may struggle to understand what they perceive as different from cultural or ...

  At least for now the scorching sun had to take a momentarily break and we welcome the season of the short rains. Everything that breathes under the sky is filled with life, the magic of rain. It’s true when they say “water is life”.The green canopy will soon resurface and the earth’s crust will be restored, at least for now. Where am from the silent valley will soon roar back to life, and the sounds of soaring river Chania will reverberate through the trout valley. At dusk, the crickets chirped monotonously and the cloaking frogs will join the rhythm, yes, all I need is my sleep done in perfect, natural harmony to fantasize my ego and fade away the bewilderments of my life. In perfect control of my life, Finished building my castles in the air, now searching for the elixir of life. In our times this river brought fortunes and calamities in equal measures. The river would deliver huge chunks of trees from Aberdares mountains, at least the families that had lived along the river li...

 Crony Capitalism and State Capture:  The Kenyatta Family Story By David Ndii Nothing is more dangerous than the influence of private interests in public affairs, and the abuse of the laws by the government is a less evil than the corruption of the legislator, which is the inevitable sequel to a particular standpoint. In such a case, the State being altered in substance, all reformation becomes impossible. ~ Jean Jacques Rousseau In November 2013, seven months into Uhuru Kenyatta’s presidency, one of the dailies carried a story profiling what it termed as the Kenyatta family business “expansion drive”. “Uhuru Kenyatta’s presidency” it averred, “has injected fresh energy into his family’s commercial empire, putting a number of units on an expansion mode that is expected to consolidate its position as one of the largest business dynasties in Kenya.” The paper listed interests in hospitality, dairy healthcare, media, banking and construction. The feature went unremarked in public...

  Advances in communication technology in the 20th century have eased information transfer and made the world a global village. As a result, millions of jobs have been created and blogging is one of the most notable ones. Many people have come to accept blogs as sources of credible information and some bloggers have become so popular that they are threatening to overtake mainstream news sources. A survey conducted by United States International University’s (USIU) SIMELab between December 2018 and March 2019 revealed that a majority of Kenyans (nearly three-quarters) read online blogs, with entertainment and education blogs being the most popular. The survey sampled 3,269 respondents aged between 14 and 55 from eight counties. The research showed that most men in Kenya read sports blogs, while most women read food and fashion content. Blogs account for a majority of local content produced in the country. According to the Communication Authority, the number of ac...

  ODM party leader Raila Odinga warned that Kenya may be entering a state of lawlessness. In a statement, Raila condemned an incident that took place a week ago where a mob that had been hired by auctioneers demolished a house in Westlands, Nairobi, saying that the incident should worry every Kenyan and the government. “We may be witnessing a quick return of the old practice where individuals with political patronage use their proximity to power to harass innocent citizens and foreigners and take their property,” he said. According to Raila, lawlessness is slowly taking shape in Kenya saying that cases of insecurity have risen following reports of  mugging and robbery incidents. “Lawlessness and impunity seem to be finding their way back into our national life, targeting not just individuals but also property in a manner witnessed in a previous era that Kenyans had hoped were gone forever,” the statement reads in part. He criticized the national government saying that the Will...

  By John Muthoga wambugu The struggle in Kenya for true democracy means a fight against the capitalist system and imperialism. There are huge class contradictions within our country. While the political elite live lavish lives and engage in a frenzy of looting and theft, the conditions of the working masses have either stagnated or worsened. The problem is that there is no genuine revolutionary movement or party in Kenya, which could lead the working class and the oppressed out of this quagmire. The building of such a movement is the most urgent task facing the working class and the revolutionary youth of Kenya today. In Kenya, the struggle for socialism has been deleted from official history and from public consciousness by the ruling class, backed by Britain and USA. They ensured that capitalism was imposed on people after independence and that the voices of those advocating socialism were suppressed. The Kenyan masses need to rediscover their revolutionary traditions. What is n...

  The whole history in Kenya shows that no real change can be expected within a capitalist system. Not only the two main coalition candidates, but all four candidates up for election in the presidential race, were united in their capitalist and pro-imperialist policy. The national elections have become meaningless rituals: a revolving door to elect this bourgeois scoundrel or the other. Both of the leading presidential candidates have been accused of corruption and theft of public property. The other two are non-entities. George Wajackoya became a talking point on social media and beyond because of his proposals of how to deal with corruption, including death sentences for corrupt government officials and judges, and the legalisation of marijuana for commercial industrial use to help cure the ballooning public debt. He also proposed rearing venomous snakes for antivenom harvesting, largely for export; and exporting dog  meat and hyena body parts to Asian countries. Meanwhile, ...

  William Ruto was the Deputy President of Kenya for the last decade, under an administration that failed to address the economic crisis in East Africa's wealthiest and most stable nation. Food and fuel prices are surging, unemployment is high and public debt rising. One wonders why the solutions he presents in his election manifesto were not successful during his 10 years as vice president? The country’s currency, the shilling, has sharply depreciated. This means Kenya's Treasury will face difficulties paying back its huge dollar-denominated debt. The public debt rose from $16 billion in 2013 to $71 billion in 2021. As a result, Kenya spends nearly 30 percent of its state revenue on interest payments. With a debt-to-GDP ratio of 69.1 percent, Kenya is classified as being at high risk of distress by the International Monetary Fund. A Bloomberg Economics assessment  The World Bank and Euro bond holders account for nearly half of Kenya’s external debt, at 28 percent and 20 perce...

  William Ruto was sworn in as Kenya's fifth president on Tuesday 13 September, a week after the Supreme Court rejected a challenge by his opponent in a close-fought election, in which Ruto received 50.5 percent of the vote against 48.8 percent for Raila Odinga. Neither of these reactionary bourgeois politicians offered any way forward for the Kenyan masses, who face increasingly intolerable conditions. Odinga’s team made allegations that the IEBC electoral transmission system had been hacked and the results tampered with.  Azimio la Umoja  (“Resolution for Unity”), a political coalition headed by Odinga, further accused the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission and Deputy President William Ruto of colluding and “subverting the will of the people”. These claims were however thrown out by the Supreme Court, which affirmed Ruto’s victory. This year’s election witnessed relative calm, with most people displaying apathy towards the entire process. The majority of Ke...

By John Muthoga Wambugu In a nation richly endowed with natural resources, human capital, and entrepreneurial potential, a painful contradiction continues to define the lives of many young Kenyans. While political elites accumulate immense wealth, acquire luxurious properties, and dominate lucrative government tenders, millions of Kenyan youths remain trapped in chronic unemployment, economic despair, and social uncertainty. The widening gap between the privileged political class and ordinary citizens has become one of the most pressing socio-economic crises in modern Kenya. Kenya’s youthful population represents one of the largest demographic groups in the country. Every year, thousands of graduates leave universities and colleges with hopes of securing dignified employment and building meaningful futures. However, these aspirations are frequently shattered by a harsh economic reality characterized by nepotism, corruption, favoritism, and unequal access to opportunities. For many yo...

“The Finance Bill, 2023 wants to raise revenue through tax, but Kenyans are being crushed by the high cost of living, stagnant and limited income,” it stated. On specific proposals in the Bill, 94 percent of respondents indicated they completely do not support a plan to raise Value Added Tax (VAT) on fuel products from 8 percent to 16 percent, as 2.2 percent said they slightly do not support the proposal. This was the proposal rejected by most Kenyans, among the respondents. Only 1.7 percent of the respondents indicated that they completely support the proposal. At least 92.4 percent of the respondents completely do not support the proposed 3 percent house levy (which was revised downwards to 1.5 percent by the National Assembly’s Finance committee), with only 3 percent of respondents indicating complete support. Also, 90 percent of the respondents completely do not support a proposal to raise the excise tax on mobile money transfer services from 12 percent to 15 percent, but 2.5 perce...

  Dear Kenyans, The Judiciary under the leadership of Chief Justice Martha Koome has today appalled us and made a mockery of its constitutional role by presiding over the 7.00am swearing in of 50 illegal Chief Administrative Secretaries (CAS) despite an active case. The case, challenging the appointments of CAS, was due for a mention today at 9.00am. The Judiciary has had numerous opportunities to stop these illegal appointments but failed to act. Instead, the Judiciary by this stroke, is responsible for aiding and abetting impunity. This action undermines the rule of law, and increases the public wage bill, even as Kenyans reel under an economic crisis. When Eliud Matindi and others challenged the CAS appointments, the courts denied them conservatory orders to protect the Constitution. Instead, the court fixed the case for mention (not hearing) today at 9:00am. Yet by sunrise, the same Judiciary had sent a top official to swear in the 50 illegal CAS at StateHouse. These actio...

By John Muthoga Wambugu In Kenya, the question of justice for LGBTQ individuals—particularly gay youths—sits at the intersection of law enforcement practices, societal attitudes, and human rights protections. While the Constitution of Kenya guarantees equality, dignity, and freedom from discrimination, many young LGBTQ persons continue to report experiences that suggest a gap between constitutional ideals and lived reality. This gap is most visible in how some individuals interact with society at large and, in certain cases, with law enforcement institutions. Police institutions are expected to serve as neutral protectors of all citizens. However, human rights organizations and advocacy groups have repeatedly raised concerns that marginalized groups, including LGBTQ youths, may not always experience equal treatment when seeking police assistance. These concerns are not necessarily universal or institutionalized across all police officers, but they emerge in patterns reported by victims...

Standing Proud Against Hate and Intimidation By John Muthoga Wambugu In many societies around the world, the struggle for equality and human dignity continues to shape conversations about justice, identity, and freedom. In Kenya, discussions surrounding LGBTQ rights remain deeply sensitive due to cultural traditions, religious beliefs, and societal expectations. Yet despite these challenges, many individuals continue to stand courageously against hate, discrimination, and intimidation in pursuit of a society built on equality and respect for all people. For years, LGBTQ individuals in Kenya have faced varying forms of rejection and hostility simply because of their identity or association with LGBTQ advocacy. Many people live in silence, hiding their personal lives out of fear of judgment, violence, exclusion, or humiliation. Others endure bullying in schools, rejection from family members, workplace discrimination, online harassment, and social isolation. These experiences often creat...