Ken Opalo - The Standard

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NEWS & CURRENT AFFAIRS

Digital News

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Ken Opalo

Why new farm regulations are recipe for disaster

The government's planned "food safety" regulations that target vegetable farmers will be a disaster for more than three million farmers.

By Ken Opalo 2 months ago

Why new farm regulations are recipe for disaster

Public officials must take blame for fire deaths

Public officials must take blame for fire deaths

By Ken Opalo 2 months ago

Can Kuria and Owalo reform service delivery?

Can Kuria and Owalo reform service delivery?

By Ken Opalo 2 months ago

Homa Bay has let down devolution in factory saga

Homa Bay has let down devolution in factory saga

By Ken Opalo 3 months ago

How Eldoret's statue mirrors mediocrity in our leadership

Exactly how much money was spent on this effort? How can we cycle out of this culture of mediocrity among our governing elites?

By Ken Opalo 3 months ago

How Eldoret's statue mirrors mediocrity in our leadership

President Ruto needs a coherent growth strategy

The only thing the president has focused on since taking office is avoiding default, mostly through highly erratic tax hikes.

By Ken Opalo 3 months ago

President Ruto needs a coherent growth strategy

The new Cabinet falls far short of our expectations

The overarching mental model of how the Cabinet is supposed to work and the expectations from Parliament have not changed.

By Ken Opalo 3 months ago

The new Cabinet falls far short of our expectations

Somalis are as Kenyan as it gets, stop whispering

Somalis are Kenyan. They have no apology to make for being Kenyan. And have the right to live and work anywhere in the Republic and to occupy any public office.

By Ken Opalo 3 months ago

Somalis are as Kenyan as it gets, stop whispering

Here's Ruto's huge chance to improve governance quality

Anti-corruption and service delivery reforms targeting counties would also provide important lessons that could inform similar efforts at the national level.

By Ken Opalo 4 months ago

Here's Ruto's huge chance to improve governance quality

The political class has panicked about ongoing protests

President Ruto must understand that now is not the time to try old tricks.

By Ken Opalo 4 months ago

The political class has panicked about ongoing protests

President should know good leaders don't waste crises

President Ruto must change course. He must reconstitute his Cabinet and senior levels of the Public Service to bring in competent people. He must prioritise service delivery.

By Ken Opalo 4 months ago

President should know good leaders don't waste crises

All compromised politicians should remain locked away in social jail

Thieves and murderous should not be celebrated.

By Ken Opalo 4 months ago

All compromised politicians should remain locked away in social jail

Anti-tax protests pose legitimacy test to Kenya Kwanza

Rex Masai's murder presents a clear moral test to the government. First, his family and the general public deserve a swift investigation and punishment of those responsible.

By Ken Opalo 5 months ago

Anti-tax protests pose legitimacy test to Kenya Kwanza

The state exists to protect the most vulnerable

The state exists not to provide public goods and services and take care of the vulnerable, but to pamper the political class.

By Ken Opalo 5 months ago

The state exists to protect the most vulnerable

UDA battles must not distract us from the Finance Bill

The ongoing wrangles within UDA are a reminder of this legacy of Potemkin parties.

By Ken Opalo 5 months ago

UDA battles must not distract us from the Finance Bill

Taxes and more firefighting will not grow Kenya

It is good that the administration was willing to experiment on policy to stem the shilling's slide. These are commendable efforts.

By Ken Opalo 6 months ago

Taxes and more firefighting will not grow Kenya

Why CS Linturi should resign or just be fired

In normal jurisdictions, Mr Linturi would have resigned even if he had nothing to do with the scam.

By Ken Opalo 6 months ago

Why CS Linturi should resign or just be fired

Lack of disaster preparedness quite shameful

Crises expose the unprepared. As torrential rain drenched much of the country this past week, both national and county governments were exposed for their total lack of disaster preparedness.

By Ken Opalo 6 months ago

Lack of disaster preparedness quite shameful

Put priorities right to provide urgent solutions to crisis

For this reason, the best antidote to failure - especially when it comes to public affairs - is actual demonstrable success.

By Ken Opalo 6 months ago

Put priorities right to provide urgent solutions to crisis

Let's take Jirongo's claim of toxic waste dumping seriously

It would be ideal if the government swiftly helped the country get to the bottom of the matter. The accusations are too great to simply sweep under the carpet.

By Ken Opalo 7 months ago

Let's take Jirongo's claim of toxic waste dumping seriously

Ruto should push SEZ to spur fast industrial growth

It is a shame that our SEZ story has yet to play a bigger role in our policymaking agenda. President William Ruto and his economic team should view this as a challenge.

By Ken Opalo 7 months ago

Ruto should push SEZ to spur fast industrial growth

Health CS Nakhumicha has failed to engage our doctors well

There are three sectors that will be critical to how President William Ruto's tenure is judged after he leaves office (be that in 2027 or 2032): agriculture, education and health.

By Ken Opalo 8 months ago

Health CS Nakhumicha has failed to engage our doctors well

The problem is not religiosity, but the quality

At the individual level, religion can be a source of inspiration for managing risks presented by life's randomness and mysteries, as well personal character formation.

By Ken Opalo 8 months ago

The problem is not religiosity, but the quality

Ruto's economic team must use its space responsibly

President William Ruto's economic team has solved the biggest problem it inherited from the Uhuru Kenyatta administration.

By Ken Opalo 9 months ago

Ruto's economic team must use its space responsibly

Uhuru nostalgia reminds us how bad things are

The Jubilee government borrowed with careless abandon and squandered most of the borrowed money on projects with little overall economic impact.

By Ken Opalo 9 months ago

Uhuru nostalgia reminds us how bad things are

Address femicide crisis urgently to secure our women

The only prominent voices out there are young women, many of whom continue to be dismissed.

By Ken Opalo 9 months ago

Address femicide crisis urgently to secure our women

Ruto must pay more attention to education

The government forgot that the introduction of junior secondary as a tier in the system, necessitated the construction of schools.

By Ken Opalo 10 months ago

Ruto must pay more attention to education

There's checking the Judiciary and then despotism

The demands of the rule of law state that everyone - especially an important state officer like the President - should be prepared to honour court rulings.

By Ken Opalo 10 months ago

There's checking the Judiciary and then despotism

Why Kenya needs a serious shift in policymaking

For the Kenya Kwanza administration, one hopes that there is a plan to pivot to serious policymaking once the Eurobond payment is behind us.

By Ken Opalo 10 months ago

Why Kenya needs a serious shift in policymaking

Kagame has built a governance system with State support

Rwanda works not because Paul Kagame is an autocrat, but because he has built a working system of governance backed by a strong state.

By Ken Opalo 11 months ago

Kagame has built a governance system with State support

Make workers more productive and see a drop in poverty

President William Ruto and his economic team should treat the World Bank report with the seriousness it deserves.

By Ken Opalo 11 months ago

Make workers more productive and see a drop in poverty

Let us renew our social contract this Jamhuri Day

Looking back, we should ask ourselves: what have we done to honour the sacrifices of those who fought and died so we might be free?

By Ken Opalo 11 months ago

Let us renew our social contract this Jamhuri Day

Kenya Kwanza already steeped in grand sleaze

The Sh16.5 billion edible oils scandals, which allegedly implicates members of President William Ruto's Cabinet, is a slap in the face of Kenyans.

By Ken Opalo 11 months ago

Kenya Kwanza already steeped in grand sleaze

Is Kenya Kwanza economic agenda avoiding default?

There is a lot more to economic policymaking than meeting deadlines set by the International Monetary Fund. The IMF are firefighters.

By Ken Opalo 11 months ago

Is Kenya Kwanza economic agenda avoiding default?

Meru leaders must stop fighting the governor and get down to hard work

Meru County is staring at political collapse. MCAs have twice impeached Governor Kawira Mwangaza accusing her of misgovernance and nepotism.

By Ken Opalo 1 year ago

Meru leaders must stop fighting the governor and get down to hard work

Kenyans have no more room for extra taxes

Taxation without evidence of benefits will drive ever more Kenyans to evade taxes. Furthermore, the government should make it clear that everyone is bearing their fair share.

By Ken Opalo 1 year ago

Kenyans have no more room for extra taxes

KRA's punitive tax bid at JKIA is ill-advised

As the government seeks to raise enough revenue to pay for public goods and services and interest on our debts, the medicine should not be worse than the disease.

By Ken Opalo 1 year ago

KRA's punitive tax bid at JKIA is ill-advised

We should avoid short-termism in varsity reforms

Most reasonable people would agree there is a need to rationalise the higher education sector.

By Ken Opalo 1 year ago

We should avoid short-termism in varsity reforms

President must do more to sell healthcare plan

How does the new plan fit with county-level primacy over the sector? Is the government intent on re-nationalising the health sector?

By Ken Opalo 1 year ago

President must do more to sell healthcare plan

Gachagua gets tough political lessons in doses

President William Ruto is on record castigating the idea of "shareholders in government," principally championed by his Deputy Rigathi Gachagua, as "primitive and backward."

By Ken Opalo 1 year ago

Gachagua gets tough political lessons in doses

Why President Ruto is held hostage by his brand of politics

This week's Cabinet reshuffle was, in effect, an admission by President William Ruto that he selected a sub-par cabinet.

By Ken Opalo 1 year ago

President Ruto wants to eat his cake and have it

While reasonable people may quibble with specific tactics or policy positions, it is generally a good thing that the President is out there selling Brand Kenya.

By Ken Opalo 1 year ago

President Ruto wants to eat his cake and have it

Ethiopia's regional construction sector giant brilliant idea

The idea, based on the limited available information, appears to be to crowd in as much of the sourcing of materials and skills as possible within the Ethiopian economy.

By Ken Opalo 1 year ago

Ethiopia's regional construction sector giant brilliant idea

ODM justified to expel MPs but it exposes weakness

Our parties are poorly institutionalised. They are also personalist. A party that has to expel members for disloyalty lacks the organisational mechanisms for screening candidates

By Ken Opalo 1 year ago

ODM justified to expel MPs but it exposes weakness

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