It is no secret that the Kenya shilling has been tanking, nearing 106 to the US dollar last week. Bear in mind that this is not the lowest the shilling has ever reached; KES reach USD 107 in October 2011. However, conditions now are different and have informed the anxiety about the depreciation of the … Continue reading
Last week Kenya hosted the Eastern Africa Region Pan African Congress and later this week will host the NEPAD APRM Summit which is rooted in the notion continental unity and cooperation. This is therefore a good time to take stock on how economically viable Pan Africanism, loosely defined as the ideology of African unity, is … Continue reading
There are a couple things happening in China right now that Africa should be looking at very keenly. We won’t talk about Black Monday here because what happens on the Chinese stock exchange does not necessarily directly speak to the impact China’s economy has on Africa. Let’s talk about what really matters for Kenya and … Continue reading
The headlines have been full of the sugar row unfolding across Kenya. Why is Kenya importing sugar from Uganda? Should the sugar industry be protected? What about the livelihood of sugar farmers? Sadly this issue has been politicised and muddied what the focus of the conversation ought to be. So let’s deal with a few … Continue reading
By Lisa Steyn The decline in the oil price has plunged Africa’s oil and gas industry into dire straits, a situation exacerbated by factors such as uncertain regulation, corruption and the prospect of political and social instability. It is a particular burden on those economies most reliant on the industry for revenue, and could have … Continue reading
Originally posted on Quartz:
A Chinese-funded multi-billion dollar rail link between Kenya’s capital and the port city of Mombasa will cut through Nairobi’s national park for wildlife, according to officials. After months of back and forth, officials agreed late last week to allow 11km of track to pass through Nairobi National Park, a 117 square kilometer (45 square-mile)…
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank recently raised the red flag over debt, stating Kenya must put a tight lid on it to keep its economy on a steady growth path. According to the Business Daily, Kenya’s debt load crossed the 50 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) mark to stand at … Continue reading
By Christine Mungai In 1977, the average price of generating energy from sunshine was $76.67 a watt. Today, the price has dropped to just $0.60 a watt. It’s a stunning 99.2% drop in 38 years, and solar energy is soon going to reach “grid parity” all over the world – the point where it is cheaper, or at … Continue reading
By Juan Cole President Obama’s visit to Kenya is of course personal, though he has been there before both as a civilian and as a senator. But it does also have a geopolitical and economic dimension. Kenya is a country of roughly 46 million people, about the same as Spain. But its nominal gross domestic product … Continue reading
US President Barrack Obama will be in Kenya this week. It is a good time to take stock of the economic relationship that emerged between Kenya and the US during his administration. By Anzetse Were One major thing that the Obama administration has done is to begin catching up with the rest of world in … Continue reading