The Elephant's Weekly Digest - 12th April 2023
Dear Reader,
Welcome to this week’s letter from the Editor’s Desk after the Easter hiatus. It has been an eventful week with a lot of chatter around the economy, the long holiday weekend, and conservation issues especially in the north. Two of these three themes grace the pages of this week’s publication.?
The president’s chief economic advisor Dr David Ndii reiterated the stringent liquidity that continues to plague the state coffers. The debt servicing costs are eating into a lot of the budgetary priorities of the Treasury. Most critically it has led to salary delays for civil servants, a situation that the economic advisory team is fighting hard to mitigate and solve. You can get our coverage of the?economic issues here.
The Easter weekend seemed to have been a lull for businesses. Many cash-strapped families stayed home, with many entertainment parks and joints being mostly deserted. Religious homilies were observed by both the Christians and the Muslims who are observing the holy month of Ramadhan. The Holy Weekend was marked by lesser travel, a testament to the financial issues facing many households countrywide.
We are still in a lull as regards the demonstrations which Hon. Raila Odinga put on hold as they try to create pathways for negotiations with the government. There have been major calls for compensation for the looted businesses, a fee waiver for those who got hospitalized, and a dropping of the charges levelled against those arrested during the demonstration. In his latest article for The Elephant, Paul Goldsmith?makes sense of Kenya's protracted protest cycle.
We look forward to more conversations around food as it is the planting season; keeping track of progress towards potential bipartisan political dialogue; and revisiting these and other pertinent issues facing Kenyans for the rest of the month of April.
Latest Articles
A fundamental contest between two orders is taking place in the country. Will Kenya’s progressives seize the moment to catalyse a progressive vision for social, economic and political change in society??
By?Joe Kobuthi
If the role of Jomo Kenyatta’s mausoleum is to remind Kenyans and the world of the significant centrality of his presence in the making of the Kenyan Nation, then why is it not accessible to the public?
By?Fred Nasubo
What the John F. Kennedy assassination records reveal about US interests in “the Near East and Africa” six decades ago.
By?Limo Taboi
Past mass action has advanced Kenya’s political development by challenging the impunity of the state but it remains to be seen if the demonstrations called by Azimio are a legitimate act of problem-solving agency or the latest extension of Kenya’s political samsara.
By?Paul Goldsmith
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Kenya is leading the charge in the growth of gaming in Eastern and Central Africa, a sector that is offering many opportunities for the country’s budding creator economy.
By?Richard Wanjohi
Just a Band are back. But they never really left. At least not for me.?
By?Eddy Ashioya
Fact-Checks
Did officials take President William Ruto's budget out of spite? And did someone steal money meant to make Kenya’s staple food of maize flour cheaper? We took a closer look.
By?Africa Check
Podcasts
Property invasion has emerged as a core facet of the recent demonstrations including the Northlands in Nairobi, and Kedong ranch in Isiolo. Is our failure to implement Agenda 4 of the 2007 National Accord coming back to bite us? What is the future of the land question in Kenya? The Elephant's Joe Kobuthi talks to conservationist Mordecai Ogada.
Videos
Maid in Hell: A Critical Reflection
Maid in Hell gives unprecedented access to this frightening and brutal form of modern slavery. Following employment agents who vividly describe the trade, as well as maids who struggle to find a way home after harrowing, and sometimes, deadly experiences, we come to understand the grotesque reality faced by thousands of women each day. In a conversation hosted by Alliance, we explore this.
Documents and Reports