Democracy 4/11

Jul 1, 20223 min read

Let's go beyond 5-minute democracies

By Irũngũ Houghton and Daniel Nyakora Like meals, five-minute democracies have their limitations. We knew this when we voted for Article...

Jun 25, 20223 min read

Without public participation, budget transparency and oversight nothing will work post-election

The Kenya Budget Transparency Survey 2021 comes at just the right time. With elections debates in high gear, it educates voters trying to...

Jun 11, 20223 min read

Will TikTok turn our elections into a war dance?

At the risk of confusing my more mainstream readers, we must talk about TikTok. No, not the clock, but social media’s latest entrant and...

Apr 23, 20223 min read

Break the impunity cycle of violence against journalists

We can measure the openness of societies by the way our journalists are treated. As the world approaches World Press Freedom Day on May...

Mar 26, 20223 min read

Place Jua Kali workers at the center of election manifestos

Ten years ago, I listened to a jua kali car mechanic displaced from the path of a new ring road by my home. A decade on, the nation has...

Mar 20, 20223 min read

Why Kenyans need NGOs and civil society ahead of elections

Policy sound-bites bullet point campaign billboards and boom from the sunroofs of SUVs. However, as John Githongo notes, these elections...

Mar 5, 20223 min read

Digital democracy or algorithmic authoritarianism, choose.

A Ukraine related twitter spike and UDA presidential aspirant claims that the August elections could be rigged alerts us there is a fine...

Jan 29, 20223 min read

Digital lawlessness could threaten our upcoming polls

Global Data Privacy Week 2022 yesterday gives us an opportunity to review the state of public awareness and data protection

Jan 8, 20223 min read

Signs an aspirant may cheat on you after they get elected

Driving back from the holidays, several political billboards caught my eyes across six counties. The posters reveal much of the...

Dec 11, 20213 min read

Listen to human rights champions amidst rising political euphoria

The second week of December annually provides us a moment to reflect on corruption, human rights, and self-governance. These themes found...

Nov 20, 20213 min read

What Blinken tour means for Kenya and the volatile region

United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to Kenya this week offers a timely opportunity to review electoral preparedness,...

Sep 26, 20213 min read

It's time for all citizens to be registered to vote

Nationalist elder Muthoni Likimani would have been proud of those Turkana youth I met last week. They are fired up and ready to register...