THE AFRICAN SAGE

There is a lot to celebrate about the Kenyan economy but there are also many reasons to be worried. The trade union movement in kenya has been vibrant and shaped the destiny of the nation. Names like Tom Mboya will forever be pronounced in a narrative on the making of the nation. When and after all is said, his work with trade unions will always be remembered. The difference between colonial and early post colonial unions and current unions was their engagement in the wider economic and political debate in Kenya. The unions were not just about salaries but the wider socioeconomic structuring towards a Kenya where the workers and general citizens were happy. I am of the opinion that current trade unions have failed due to their simple and narrow focus on higher salaries for their members. One union that has ferociously engaged government on the issue of salaries is the Kenya National Union of Teachers and its later day splinter KUPPET. This unions have done well in agitating for highe...

 Here are the ten critical points, according to me, in discussing sugar woes in Kenya. 1. No processing industry in Kenya is competitive enough to successfully compete internationally. Those asking that we diversify from sugar cane because it is non competitive should also ask that we import cheap maize from Tanzania, cheap Rice and cheap everything. 2. Government involvement in development and growth of industries can not be gainsaid. If government wants the sugar industry in Kenya to thrive then it should be seen to go out of the way to tackle issues crippling the industry 3. Kenya has documented potential to have a vibrant sugar industry. The amount of land under sugar is enough to produce raw materials. However, proliferation of millers has reduced economies of scale in terms of amount of cane available to a miller. Strategic merging of millers and creation of infrastructure e.g. Railway to transport cane to millers can solve the problem 4. The sugar industry is on its knees be...