THE RECEIPTS When I started writing “IT’S A TRAP“, the Data Sharing Agreement had not yet been disclosed. I analysed The Framework in isolation, and reported the issues I found. These included jurisdictional limits in relying solely on the laws of Kenya, ethical issues around training AI models on sovereign data, the potential of permanent…
Read the sequel, THE RECEIPTS, here. 0. Priorities There is a woman who owns land down the road. It’s a modest parcel, inherited from her father. It is enough to sustain her children, enough to grow some grains when the rains come. But for the past few years, the rains have failed, and her granaries…
A reckoning with Baba 0: Requiem Following the passing of a great man, we often race to eulogise him. And as our traditions require, to the sins of the departed we must grant a merciful amnesia. After all, it is an act of kindness to just let mourners grieve. Following the demise of Raila Amolo…
Power does not corrupt, it reveals. As blood stains are drying on the pavements of Nairobi, the current president of Kenya, William Samoei Ruto, stands as the culmination of Kenya’s democratic experiment. Although Ruto is cloaked in electoral democracy, Kenya’s institutional memory of oppression finds expression through him. By tracing Ruto’s despotic journey, we witness…
Fulfilment or Survival? This is my take on the raging debate between two professionals from my alma mater. Consider the physician who also sells fish and vends vegetables. What does their condition tell us? What do these side hustles reveal? We know that they wanted to be doctors when they were younger. They may have…
This article follows directly from Part 1: Understanding Surveillance Oppression in Kenya. However, it can be read on its own as a separate self-contained document. Reccommendations The following are some recommendations, which when followed even in part, will inculcate an attitude of defensive security, not only during political agitation but also as a pre-emptive strategy…
Colonial era Political dissent monitoring via spying operations and subsequent repression via government-sanctioned violence and extrajudicial killings have a tragically rich history in Kenya. It started in the 19th century when the British recruited missionaries and mercenaries as porters and guides as they colonised our territory. As they crept into villages and communes, they planted…
Although proverbs are cherished for their elegant brevity, wit, and their perceived truths, they possess an inherent unfairness. Proverbs oversimplify our experiences and cast a broad, unyielding judgement on those who do not conform. This is despite the fact that the truths that they bare are always incomplete. This is also why it is easy…
Hope and Despair Since becoming a republic on 12th December 1964, Kenya’s political landscape has oscillated between optimistic epochs of a bustling democracy and dark interludes of authoritarianism. As with many African nations, ours started with the celebration of our independence from British colonial rule. But this joy waned fast when our first president, Jomo…