MULEMBE VIBES

Recently, I came across a very interesting read in one of the dailies about how preference for humanities among out university student population is stifling efforts for talented work force. For me that was a very genuine concern, only in one sense; that we need to invest a lot more in science and technology than we are doing now. Overall, we need to invest more in education in a more objective and focused way than we are doing now. It is astonishing policy mandarins keep talking expanding the economy to ensure economic growth and job creation. And they keep talking without looking for ways of investing not only creatively but also looking at some of the “forgotten” frontiers. Granted, investments in science and technology could could be the building blocks for long-term economic growth of the country. And none other than former US President Obama acknowledged this in one of the debates. I am no economist, however, the little time I have spent around books learning a

Being an anthropologist, I have done a lot of research and published some of the research findings. In the process I have come across very interesting cultural practices as well as pristine cultural spaces in Kanya. These cannot be captured vividly in book chapters, nor journal articles. Therefore, I believe academics can make greater impact if they communicated their research activities through electronic media, especially television. Discussing the idea with one of my young and dynamic friends, he asked me to venture into documentaries and even went ahead to suggest establishing a local (Kenyan) documentary TV channel to air such works. His suggestion was that other academics in Kenya would actually see a chance to make their research works take their own life and animate discussions on various topical issues in Kenya and the region, from diverse disciplinary angles. Is this a viable venture?

It is  good to have billionaires but seems the world is becoming more unstable because of biting poverty. We need to do something to make sure billionaires do not come at the expense of the majority. This world has enough resources for all of us. My take.

Many young people are jobless because they do not possess the requisite skills required in the job market (whatever that means). Does it really mean that Universities in particular are producing graduates without the relevant skills? What surprises me is the same firms and organisations requiring "relevant skills" are headed and directed by individuals from the same universities where the current jobless young people are coming from. For many of us, being a lecturer requires one to play multiple roles. One of my roles at the Institute of Anthropology, Gender and African Studies at the University of Nairobi is career advisor to our students. Many of the students come to my office requiring advice on what to do during the their long holidays, fearing that they will be very, which is usually the case. Others are innovative and identify places where they will work part time for which they require reference letters. What we have done at the Institute to alleviate

The on-going investigations and arrests in Kenya in regard to corruption has raised admiration and consternation in equal measures around the country. The amounts of money mentioned in the dealings have broken the County’s “best record” of looting. However, given these are by no means the first, nor will they be the last cases of corruption in high places, is it not time to put aside the normal political rhetoric and engage in a no-nonsense discourse on what every Kenyan over the age of thirty knows: The existence of ‘unearned’ opportunities or wealth which is an indictment on our value system that it warrants a disbelief in an idea foundational to the Kenya’s future and the Independence dreams which were shattered by the opportunism? I am proposing a discourse that is poised to propel an ideological movement well beyond the Parliament, the courts, police cells, the ivory tower and into political discourse, pop culture commentary, and workplace seminars. Discussing corru

National Housing Corporation (NHC) Langata Court, Nairobi, is in the middle of a Water Crisis and this may precipitate its demise from glamour to irrelevance. This residential area had great promise on inception and I would even say it was the most well planned of all the NHC estates in Nairobi. It is also one of the most secure in Nairobi. However, one problem is prevalent, and this problem seems to be artificial. The perennial shortage of water is driving residents up the wall. The residents strongly believe the nonchalant water vendors are colluding with the Nairobi Water and Sewerage Company (NWSC) technicians to deliberately switch off the water supply so that the residents can buy from the vendors. One question comes to mind, why is Nairobi Water billing the residents without supplying water? It is also a miracle that other residential estates such as Nairobi West, Utawala, Embakasi and Pipeline do not experience this shortage, yet they have even bigger populations