Author: Bobby Mkangi
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Governors, Beware! Of Upright and Conniving MCAs
“Authority assigned to a State officer is a public trust…” Article 73 (1) of the Constitution of Kenya, 2010 Since the county-assembly-impeachment of Meru Governor Kawira Mwangaza Kawira on 14 December 2022 – hardly three months into the role – questions have emerged about the place of impeachment of governors by Members of County Assemblies…
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What Have Dreadlocks Got To Do With It?
“Imagine a lawyer or doctor with dreadlocks.” – Peter Kaluma, MP Homa Bay Town Constituency. What is hard to imagine is how and why in the 21st century, the ‘hairy’ fallacy alluding to the supposed ergonomical misalliance between locs (hairstyles) and certain professions persists. It is difficult and disappointing to imagine how 60 years into supposed…
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War Is Failure Of Football
Football or soccer is a strange sport. Put two teams of eleven each and a ball on a pitch, get a few people to watch them as they kick the ball around with the intention of winning by scoring more goals than their opponents, and voila! – you have yourself a social experiment. The twenty…
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We Are Debating Everything, Including County Boundaries!
Since the commencement of the 13th Kenyan Parliament, it has been raining constitutional amendment bills. The hangover from the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) constitutional review (mis)adventure seems not to have dissipated. Parliamentarians, both rookies (trying to make their dramatic legislative debuts) and seasoned (trying to flex to rookies) have swiftly suggested amendments. Not in censure…
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First Ladies and First Gentlemen: Constitutional Intruders or Builders?
“There is no handbook for incoming first ladies… It’s not technically a job, nor is it an official government title. It comes with no salary and no spelled-out set of obligations. It’s a strange kind of sidecar to the presidency…” – Michelle Obama in ‘Becoming’ Seven women were elected as governors during Kenya’s 2022 general…
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A Case Against Tampering With Presidential Term Limits
The Constitution of Kenya 2010 provides any Kenyan with the right to propose its rehabilitation. This may be through a parliamentary or a Wanjiku-driven (popular) initiative. The Constitution, however, does not specify the period when or within which this may be done. The success of a proposed amendmendment therefore depends on the alignment of the…
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Degrees and the Degree of Uheshimiwa in Kenya
It must be remembered that vying to be a mheshimiwa is a political right secured under the CoK 2010 (Article 38). As has been shown above, less than four per cent (4%) of Kenyans have university degrees. This number is not expected to exponentially rise in the near future, considering the rising cost of university…
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Pass the Dutchie: Legalize It, Don’t Criminalize It
Despite this global melodrama, Marijuana remains firmly rooted, its production and consumption neither dropping nor stopping.
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Unpacking The Basic Structure Doctrine
Ever since 13 of May 2021, when the Constitutional and Human Rights Division of Kenya’s High Court delivered the consolidated judgment to Petition No. E282 of 2020, the Basic Structure Doctrine (BSD) has become a shibboleth of sorts.
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The Judiciary As A Political Player
There are those who think that the judiciary should restrain and avoid getting into political tussles, even when invoked.