Author: Rasna Warah
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Bloated Kenyan Delegation at COP27 Reflected the Country’s Misplaced Priorities
In a previous incarnation, when I was a globe-trotting United Nations official, I was constantly amazed at how big the Kenyan delegation was at international conferences. At a conference on cities held in Beijing, for instance, I was shocked to see ministers and top officials from Kenya whose docket had absolutely nothing to do with…
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Kenya’s Explosive Mix of Corruption, Debt and Rising Expectations
When the Goldenberg scandal was exposed in the early 1990s, Kenyans thought they had seen the last of grand corruption on that scale. That scam involved none other than the Central Bank of Kenya and cost the country the equivalent of 10 percent of its GDP – money that was lost through a shady export…
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Debunk Speaks To Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor
YVONNE ADHIAMBO OWUOR is an award-winning author whose novels, Dust and The Dragonfly Sea, have been widely praised for their examination of the entire gamut of human experience, from love and beauty to violence and grief. Her writing journey began when she won the 2003 Caine Prize for African Writing for her short story, “Weight…
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Somalia’s Famines Not A Product Of Food Scarcity
Almost every year, the United Nations and humanitarian agencies declare a ‘famine’ in Somalia. This year is no different. The UN has warned that prolonged drought threatens the lives of hundreds of thousands of Somalis who may face starvation if they are not supplied with food and water. The UN and other humanitarian agencies have…
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Violation of Women’s Rights Goes Beyond Iran
The call by activists to throw Iran out of the upcoming World Cup finals in Qatar due to its refusal to allow female fans to access football stadiums has been welcomed by popular sports commentators and political analysts who have painted the Islamic Republic of Iran as a misogynistic, tyrannical state that oppresses women and…
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Kenyans Have No Right To Claim Rishi Sunak
Much has been made of British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Kenyan roots, with some comparing Sunak’s rise to the top leadership in Britain to that of Barack Obama, who became president of the United States in 2009. But apart from the fact that both politicians’ fathers were born in Kenya, there isn’t much credit Kenya…