It’s time Kenyan media gave politicians blackout

I listened to Senator Muthama last week with utter disgust and shame when he addressed the crowd at Uhuru Park. There can never be any justification as to how he spoke at the rally. He should respect our women even if he has issues with Ms. Waiguru and the President. As a leader he should know his position demands that he chooses his words carefully and that is what is called wisdom. Unfortunately, it not only him who is guilty of this kind of unbecoming and horrendous behavior but most of our politicians are. Indeed this has become the trend of our politicians and it is as if they assume regrettably, the more derogatory you speak the more appealing you appear. As a society we have reached a point where we must say no to these politicians who do not respect Kenyans and spew venom with no due regard.

It is unfortunate we have to sit and listen to politicians who not only abuse our intelligence but show disrespect to us yet we are the same people who have employed them. They should show decorum and humility .Our media need to change tact and do an overhaul on the way they cover our politicians and only cover them when they share what is helpful and that which will build our country. The media should not commit acres of space and time by focusing on political shenanigans but would rather cover developmental issues. Indeed most of our politicians have knocked themselves off the pedestal and no longer have moral authority to stand and talk to us. Such politicians lack locus standi to be covered by the media and should be given a total blackout.

Our Politicians have failed this country and are the least trusted people. Should our media give them a total black-out then they’ll see the need to style up and respect us.  Our politicians have an amazing obsession with the negative and the bizarre. They capitalize on all negative things in order to gain some cheap political mileage. They are hell-bent on creating a country of cynics, sycophants and pessimists. Indeed, occasionally, Kenyans are even described as being among the world's most optimistic people. This is in recognition of what our politicians treat us to, yet we remain unbowed and optimistic. Regrettably, our politicians behave as if we are a nation of fools and naivety, serving us with all their shenanigans. We must start somewhere to tame our political leaders and I suggest media blackout to be the starting point. This will instill discipline and our politicians will stop treating us to their mediocre and nonsense. If our politicians cannot engage us with what matters then the media have no business giving them space and airtime. Our politicians take the largest blame in balkanising this country along the ethnic lines and thus qualify for no meaningful coverage by our media.

I advise our media instead to focus more positive news such as marathons wins the world over by our athlete, the seventh wonder of the modern world, the great migration of wildebeest in the Maasai Mara and new methods of farming among others. This way as a country we will move forward and we will be positively induced. It will also help bring down tribal vitriol that is fanned and fueled by our politicians. Since the media is able to set the agenda of this Nation, ignoring the politicians will enable Kenyans focus on more important issues that will uplift them. Lastly, any politician worth his name must engage his mind before engaging his mouth. We must start healing this society by enforcing responsible talk by our politicians. Only the media can help us achieve this.

High interest rates will affect businesses and slow down the economy

The last couple of weeks have witnessed commercial banks increase their base lending rates to punitive levels. Borrowing money from banks now attract interest rates in the range of 24 - 30 percent. Many of us thought that this had gone down in history with the Moi era. However, this will have a huge impact on businesses since a number of businesses were servicing loans. The increased interest rates will eat into these businesses’ revenues and thus affect their short term and long term development goals. The situation is so serious that some businesses have indicated that they will have to implement some cost cutting measures such as laying-off staff. This will have an overall multiplier effect on the economy and will definitely slow down the performance of the economy. Loss of jobs, and decline in economic growth will lead to untold suffering for the common mwananchi.

Local commercial banks have argued that they are responding to heavy domestic borrowing by the government and the fact that CBK has not reviewed the Central Bank Rate (CBR) downward. The Central Bank has been trying to curb the runaway inflation and prevent the shilling from losing more value against major currencies. This issue need to be addressed otherwise it is bound to cripple some businesses to the level of shutting down.

Conversely, the low interest rate era that started in 2002 led to many things that significantly impacted positively on the business community and the lifestyle of every Kenyan. This should be maintained if we are to experience better economic growth. When Loans become cheap and readily available, many ordinary business people are able to get the much needed finance to boost their businesses with or without the traditional collateral. This will lead to rapid economic growth and high liquidity in the market. This growth will of course put constraints on social infrastructure and amenities, thus the need to expand the same in tandem.  The government therefore needs to devise ways of taming these punitive loans so as to secure businesses and guarantee steady economic growth.

Six reasons to steer clear of alcohol drinks

Alcohol is one of the most favorite drinks across the world, but its intoxicating and dependence-producing properties play a role in violence, child neglect and abuse, shattered relationships and poor job performance. It also causes:

1 Depression: A number of studies have shown that alcohol increases the risk of depression. Nearly one-third of all people with major depression have an alcohol problem, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

Depression may be a particularly significant trigger for alcohol use in women, who are more than twice as likely to start drinking heavily if they have a history of depression.

2 Risky sexual behaviour: Alcohol is a leading cause of risky sexual behaviours such as unprotected sex and sex with multiple partners and produces an increased risk of sexual assault.

These behaviours often result in unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections such as human papilloma virus (HPV) and HIV in both men and women.  HPV is a significant threat and is the leading cause of cervical cancer, the third most common malignancy in women.

3 Cancer: Alcohol is also known to increase cancer of the liver, breast, colon, oesophagus, throat and mouth. Studies have linked the risk of breast cancer to increase proportionally in relation to the amount of alcohol use in women.  The more alcohol consumed, the greater the cancer risk.

4 Heart problems: Heart attacks, strokes and high blood pressure can develop from the harmful use of alcohol. Approximately 80 per cent of all cardiovascular diseases are preventable through lifestyle related factors.

Alcohol use is a leading risk factor for poor dietary choices, inadequate physical activity levels and tobacco use.  Recent studies have shown that women who drink excessively are at an increased risk for damage to the heart muscle in comparison to men. 

The findings highlighted that women were at greatest risk even if they had lower levels of consumption.

5 Infertility: Excessive drinking also disrupts a female’s reproductive health and can increase the risk of infertility and even more serious, higher rates of miscarriages, stillbirths and premature deliveries.  Men are more likely to drink in larger quantities, but women commonly have smaller structures and break down alcohol slightly different than men. 

This will result in higher alcohol levels in the blood that ultimately will impact a female longer despite drinking an equal amount.

6 Liver cirrhosis: Alcohol can cause irreversible scarring of the liver, called cirrhosis, a progressive disease that develops slowly over many years until eventually the liver fails.

Heavy female drinkers are more likely to develop symptoms versus men who consume the same amount. Individuals with cirrhosis have a much higher risk of developing liver cancer.  

Men are equally at risk and often drink more, more regular, and experience higher rates of accidents and injuries. Traffic accidents are still the leading cause of alcohol-related death among young men aged 16 to 24.

Many Facebook users ignorant on privacy risks

Many users of Facebook are unaware of the privacy risks from the massive social network site or fail to take adequate precautions, a report by Consumers Reports said Thursday.The report found nearly 13 million US Facebook users do not use, or are not aware of the site’s privacy controls.

An estimated 4.8 million Americans have posted about where they planned to go on a certain day — a potential tip-off to burglars, the report noted.

And it found that 4.7 million have “liked” a Facebook page about health conditions or treatments, details that insurers might use against them.

The report, part of the nonprofit group’s State of the Net survey, estimated that seven million households using Facebook said they had trouble last year, ranging from someone using their log-in without permission to being harassed or threatened. That was up 30 percent from the previous year.

Only 37 percent of Facebook users said they have used the site’s privacy tools to customize how much information is shared with third parties, according to the Consumer Reports survey.

“Facebook really is changing the way the world socially communicates and has become a successful service in part by leveraging copious amounts of personal data that can be spread far wider than its users might realize,” said Jeff Fox, Consumer Reports technology editor.

“Our investigation revealed some fascinating, and some disquieting trends — but ones always worth knowing for consumers who wish to keep their personal data under better control.”The report indicates Facebook gathers a considerable amount of information from users that they may not be aware of.“Some users might be surprised to know that Facebook gets a report every time they visit a site with a ‘Like’ button, regardless of whether or not they click on that button, have a Facebook account, or are even logged in,” the organization said.

It did give credit to Facebook for taking privacy and security “seriously” by implementing checks against abuses and inappropriate applications.

But Consumer Reports said Facebook should do more by fixing “a security lapse” that permits users to set up weak passwords including some six-letter dictionary words and to help users avoid inadvertently sharing status updates with the public.

Consumer Reports points out that all of this data collection is not without risks.The report was based on a survey from January 16-31 of a sample of 2,002 people.The number of people using Facebook worldwide had risen to 901 million by the end of the quarter, according to company documents.

Facebook is expected to make its much-anticipated stock market debut in the coming weeks in a public offering which could raise as much as $10 billion, the largest flotation ever by an Internet company on Wall Street.

Raila is not a reformer

Today let's discuss politics....Many Kenyans were surprised a while ago by  the comments of Raila Odinga on the judiciary. People were shocked to imagine that the self-proclaimed high prince of reform and democracy would go to an extent of branding our courts as fake courts. Those of us who have keenly watched Raila and listened to him were not surprised. Those who have had the opportunity to work with Raila Odinga since the clamour for multi-partyism have been warning this country that this man appears good from far but he is actually far from good.

We have been accused of being obsessed with Raila, or suffering from Raila-Phobia, or being driven by hate for Raila. Luckily the true Raila is now standing up in the eyes of Kenya and the world. The same Raila who refused to go to court in 2008 claiming that the courts were not free is now branding our courts as fake despite all the judicial reforms undertaken in the last four years. The same man who claimed that Kivuitu stole his victory is now intimidating Isaak Hassan’s Independent Elections and Boundaries Commission that was created as a result of a rigorous, inclusive and consultative process as part of our reform package. Truly all can see that it is not true that we hate Raila Odinga. We just love Kenya and care for her future. It is succinctly clear that the more Kenya changes, the more Raila Odinga remains the same.

To many Kenyans, the onslaught against the judiciary and IEBC by the Prime Minister may appear like isolated cases. That is far from the truth. If you go back to history, you will realize that Raila survives on crisis. In 2002, his politics was given a fresh lease of life by the fiasco he created at Kasarani. In 2003, he created a crisis through the alleged MOU with Kibaki to galvanize the country using the 41-againist-1 ideology, which then propelled him to another crisis—the post election crisis of 2007-2008. That crisis then gifted him with the Prime Minister’s slot in the grand coalition government. Recently, the Prime Minister has been trying to create a new crisis in vain. The recent attacks on President Kibaki over the appointments to the National Police Service Commission, the mountain he has created out of the mole hill that is the date of elections are part of this well choreographed plan to rejuvenate his ill fated third attempt at the Presidency.

 

Perhaps Raila’s unbridled, raw ambition is getting the better of him. In his quest to create a new crisis that will propel him to State House, he is making unbelievably simplistic blunders. If he were in a game of tennis, he would lose a whole set from unforced errors only. Just when his propaganda team was struggling to convince the country, against national and now international consensus, that he has nothing to do with the trial of Kenyans at the International Criminal Court, the man displays his true colours by asking for the suspects to be arrested. By doing so, he becomes the first person to publicly call for arrest warrants, something even the cantankerous Ocampo has not done. Unfortunately for him, none of these seeds of crisis has germinated. Like the ones that Jesus talked about in the Bible, Raila’s seeds of crisis are all falling on rocks, an amazing pointer of how Kenyans have grown wiser. Truly, there is a God and he looks after this country

Perhaps it is about time that Raila Odinga embarks on a personal journey towards repentance and absolution. He can do so now before his list of victims grows any longer. He can start by apologizing to Mwai Kibaki, the man who is supposed to be partner but by all means is a victim of Raila’s machinations. I propose that he then moves to Musalia Mudavadi, the man whose blessings he is trying to steal using Bibilical Jacob’s trickster strategies on Esau. Daniel Arap Moi, Uhuru Kenyatta, William Ruto, Miguna Miguna and the people of Kenya would also be worthy of Raila’s remorse and apologies. Unfortunately, I do not expect him to do so soon. What I expect him to do is make more blunders and deny with the same breath. . That’s Raila, the man for you!.

World Bank president choice sadly pre-determined

This week saw the lobbying and deal-making ahead of the election of the President of the World Bank reach its peak.But for all the rhetoric and campaigning, the outcome remained sadly predetermined.It is high time the US foregoes its sense of entitlement at the World Bank and allows a merit-based and transparent contest for the presidency to allow non-American candidates a genuine chance of winning. But what we are drifting towards is a continuation of the status quo.

The world is changing. For more than a decade now, since the Asian financial crisis, developing nations and emerging powers have sought to reflect the evolution of the global economy and geo-strategic concerns in the structure and leadership of international institutions.It is an anachronism for the leadership of the World Bank, and its sister institution the International Monetary Fund, to remain the sole preserve of established powers. However, established powers seem determined to cling on desperately to these last bastions of twentieth century geopolitics.

The aftershocks of a global financial crisis brought about by the failure of governments and corporate boards to execute their governance responsibilities still reverberate. Yet so soon afterwards, it is becoming clear that the appropriate lessons have not been learnt.The World Bank is an institution of critical importance for the global economy. It is vital that the President of the World Bank be the most competent and experienced candidate for the task. For the first time, this year, there are two credible candidates from the developing world.

Many of my US and European friends, people who are outspoken on issues of development, governance and democracy, are conspicuously silent now. Some of my American friends cite the US election as a reason not to rock the boat. Others feel embarrassed about appearing disloyal. But these are not credible justifications.No candidate for the Presidency of the United States will win or lose the forthcoming US election on the basis of how strongly Washington maintains its grip on the World Bank.

Moreover, while France’s quid pro quo support for the US can be taken for granted in the light of Christine Lagarde’s unchallenged ascendancy to IMF Director-General, the rest of Europe has little to gain from preserving the existing arrangement.

Nations such as the UK and Germany have a chance to show the kind of leadership on this issue that they displayed during the last round of climate negotiations in Durban.This is an issue of livelihoods for hundreds of millions of the world’s citizens. On this issue, the interests of US citizens are aligned with those of the citizens of all other nations – a properly-managed, efficient World Bank that promotes sustainable and equitable growth is to the benefit of everyone in our interdependent world.

While citizens across the world fight against cronyism, electoral malpractice and bad governance, we must ensure that our global public institutions set the right example. No-one can lecture developing countries on how to manage their processes, public and private sector, if they so brazenly do not conform to the same standards.Moreover, if this election process is not an open contest, it undermines the principle of fair competition that the US and the World Bank have traditionally exported to the rest of the world.

Having a transparent, open and merit-based process is of course the morally right thing to do. What is more important is that it is the smart thing to do.

As the Bank engages in the delicate act of advising governments on best practice, its own leadership must have legitimacy.The Bank’s at times heavy handed approach in the developing world has created a well of bad feeling which already undermines its relevance. This election is a chance to restore the confidence of the Bank’s partners, and even its staff, in the institution.When the Bank was created in 1944, the world looked very different. Today China is the second largest economy in the world, Brazil the sixth. European economies are struggling with austerity measures while African economies are growing faster than ever.
 

At this time of global political and economic upheaval, as developed countries watch new powers emerge, the Bank must move away from its post-Second World War origins and reposition itself for the new century.

While 20th Century powers drag their feet over UN Security Council reform, here is a comparatively easy step along the path of reframing our global governance architecture. There would be no better way to begin this process than by a merit-based election for World Bank President. This is a wonderful opportunity. The world is watching to see if it will be taken.

Kenya Universities’ teaching style archaic

Teaching, learning, assessment and research in our universities and other tertiary institutions must ensure graduates’ employability and marketability.

Universities should therefore direct their efforts towards the needs of working life, combining vocational training and theoretical and practical knowledge with special emphasis on new forms and methods of teaching, practical training and cooperation with industry and other sectors of the economy.

For example, students taking education should have ‘residency periods’ covering their four years of studying in primary and secondary schools in their locality that count towards their teaching practice evaluation. Work life skills in teaching are not acquired in four weeks of teaching practice! This also applies to students in the other faculties. Learning should respond to labour needs and include the development of general skills, and workshop floor experience widely valued in employment.

Universities are at the centre of the educational-workplace continuum, and should, therefore revaluate their curriculum , pedagogical approaches, modes of assessment, ambience and aesthetics of their learning environment and adequacy of their infrastructure. More people have been joining universities in the past five years and this is welcome.

However, this has serious quality implications, considering that there have been no commensurate additions in staff numbers and physical facilities, while the criteria for admitting students, particularly for post-graduate programmes now allows candidates that cannot meet the intellectual demands of their courses to register. This has long term negative impacts on our socio-economic well being as a nation.

Despite impressive academic achievements by our graduates, many fail to be attractive to prospective employers due to their lack of generic thinking skills or soft skills (unless of course they join the public service where accountability in terms of performance and deliverables is an ‘outlier’ function!).

Unesco’s study on graduate unemployment reveals that employers today value linguistic and literacy skills, including soft skills such as communication ability, numeracy, thinking, learning and basic computer literacy. Unfortunately, our universities produce graduates who are generally deficient in all or most of these skills as they are not part of the curriculum. Universities must ensure students benefit from both content knowledge and generic skills.

These skills include communication, critical thinking and problem-solving, team work, information management, statistics and data analysis, entrepreneurial, and leadership.

Many of the graduates use social networks such as facebook, twitter and e-mail, but not for the conceptualization, mastery and search for knowledge. Learning skills are also important as knowledge of facts and theories in books and journals have a short shelf-life.

Knowledge gained in universities is purely latent, discipline specific and applicable only to a particular — and usually quite insignificant — segment of the job market. What, for example, is the value of our post graduate programmes’ evaluation criteria of 70 per cent exams (rote learning and regurgitation) and 30 per cent (for continuous assessment)? What does a Masters or PhD student need to ‘prick’ his or her intellect?

Employers are no longer using qualifications to select individuals for fixed and routine roles and pedagogies must be process-oriented, as is the case in universities in Canada, the US, Australia, Finland and the UK, where a specific skills profile is embedded in the curricula or conducted as a separate compulsory skills development program.

Pedagogical methods employed in universities must include generic skills as part of content delivery.There should be greater participation by students for knowledge construction and acquisition of generic skills above.

Finally, there is nothing more central to the learning experience than assessment. Students spend less than 10 per cent of their time on non-assessed academic work. Studies in schools have shown that students who score well on tests often are unable to successfully use memorized facts and formulae in real-life application outside the classroom.

It is time to change the current ‘jug and mug’ model of learning in universities that views the lecturer as dispenser, the students as passive receptacles.