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Archive

Maisha Namba: Thoughts about Kenya’s evolution of identity

Last week, I attended a meeting presided over by Amb. Prof. Julius Bitok, the Principal Secretary of the State Department for Immigration & Citizen Services. It was a Public Participation exercise on the Maisha Namba, Kenya's new Unified Personal Identifier meant to replace the National ...

Why I decline to speak at International Youth Day events

I have been honoured to receive invitations to deliver keynote speeches at three events celebrating the upcoming International Youth Day on August 12, 2024. Despite the prestige and potential impact of these opportunities, I have chosen to decline them. My decision stems from several reasons ...

Micro-Concessioning – An Idea to Revitalising Public Facilities

The Future of Public Services: Embracing Concessioning for Effective Delivery #LongRead Governments face immense pressure to deliver top-notch public services in today's fast-paced world. Yet, many public facilities—such as healthcare centres and police stations—struggle with underfunding, poor maintenance, and outdated infrastructure. This results in a significant gap ...

Africa: It’s Time to Boldly Rewild the Digital Jungle

#LongRead In the early, heady days of the internet, a boundless frontier of digital innovation was promised—a digital utopia where anyone could make their mark. Fast-forward to April 2024 and this dream has been co-opted by a handful of tech behemoths, leaving Africa a mere spectator ...

Michael Joseph Leaves Safaricom after 23 years

Kenyans have much to thank him for Michael Joseph, the legendary corporate leader who led Safaricom to be the most successful company in East Africa, has left Safaricom's board. I first met Michael Joseph in 2010 when I was running the Elimisha US initiative, which was ...

My wishlist for rebuilding Kenya: One

The electioneering period is over and President William S Ruto has taken to his office with an encouraging start. I buy his articulated philosophy that the government must take tough measures for more sustainable prosperity. I love the idea that he wants to reorient the ...

Nostalgia, technology and other thoughts

Today, I listened to my friend David Sasaki talk on his substack about technology and nostalgia. He sent me down a nostalgic path of memories of how I engaged with media and technology from my youth and the impact that had on me. For the ...