The Kenyanist

Kamau Wairuri
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  • SOCIAL SCIENCES
  • EVERY TWO WEEKS

In ‘The Kenyanist’, we step back from the rush of current affairs to take a broader and deeper view of issues that Kenyans fight about. In each episode, Kamau Wairuri speaks to an expert who will help us understand a particular social or political issue better and hopefully propose how we can address some of our most pressing challenges as a society. Disclaimer: The views expressed by the guests on the show are not necessarily those of the host.

  1. How Should We Think About Kenya's Future?

    01/10/2024

    How Should We Think About Kenya's Future?

    Scenario planning is a concept that helps us to make predictions about the future. It is often used in corporate strategy to analyse key factors that may impact and influence the business objectives from the operating environment. For countries, scenario planning can help to mitigate risks and set in motion policy incentives that cushion against the most adverse impacts. For instance, it could help governments prepare better for national disasters such as floods and drought. In Kenya, the youth bulge has been discussed in different settings as a potential resource in national development or a “ticking time bomb.” Dr. Katindi Sivi who is our guest today was one of the first people to deeply question the role of the youth in the country and will help us think differently about the future of the country. She is a futurist, a policy analyst and an expert on strategic planning. She currently works as the Director of the LongView Group, a Principal trainer at Africa Foresight Lab, and an Adjunct Lecturer at Strathmore University. #Kenya #Futurism #StrategicPlanning #Politics #PublicPolicy #Podcast

    45 min
  2. The History of Social Protection in Kenya

    17/09/2024

    The History of Social Protection in Kenya

    The aim of social protection policies is to protect the social wellbeing of people. Thistakes many forms including cash transfer programs to vulnerable groups, universal healthcare, feeding programs, and others. In Kenya, and to a large extent the global south, social protection policies sometimes seem to be a trade off between donor interests and what the people need. This begs the question, how sustainable are these programs when they are influenced by international actors? African countries are all too familiar with the impact of the Structural Adjustment Programs (SAPs) that were implemented by governments in the 1980’s. Hence, people worry that social protection policies might be abandoned to fit the demands of international actors leaving people who were already vulnerable worse off. We talked to Dr. Marion Ouma who is an Expert on Social Protection and is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Nordic Africa Institute. She holds a PhD in Social Policy and Social Protection from the University of South Africa. #Kenya #TheKenyanist #SocialProtection #Politics #PublicPolicy #Podcast

    48 min
  3. Land disputes in Gusiiland: Witchcraft Accusations and violence against Elderly Women

    03/09/2024

    Land disputes in Gusiiland: Witchcraft Accusations and violence against Elderly Women

    In traditionally patriarchal societies, land ownership becomes a big cause of conflict especially when women hold the rights to ownership. In the recent past, Kenya has faced cases of violence against women as a result of land dispute. One of the affected communities is the Abagusii with the victims being mostly elderly women accused of witchcraft. In this episode of The Kenyanist, Kamau Wairuri hosts Agatha Gichana, a lawyer, practicing journalist and women rights activist who is also a member of the Abagusii community. Having written extensively on the issue based on research and her personal accounts, she shares more insight on the topic and discusses potential solutions. #TheKenyanist #KenyanPodcast #EndViolenceAgainstWomen #PublicPolicy

    49 min
  4. Kenya's Slow Move from Food Aid to Food Security

    20/08/2024

    Kenya's Slow Move from Food Aid to Food Security

    Food security is an issue that Kenya continues to struggle with. Kenya is often ranked poorly in food security, primarily due to the cost of this food. This in spite of agriculture’s contribution to the economy - 21.8% this year according to KNBS. Rain fed agriculture, inconsistent agricultural policies and perennial drought are some of the major issues that make it harder for people to access food. We are joined by Nelly Madegwa, who has written severally on this issue and shares with us lessons on how the country can be more food secure. She is a Kenyan Freelance Journalist, and a Fellow with the African Women Journalism Project, as well as Pulitzer Center's 2024 Persephone Miel Fellow.

    40 min
  5. How Do We Change Kenya Into A Better Place?

    06/08/2024

    How Do We Change Kenya Into A Better Place?

    Sparked by the punitive Finance Bill and need for better governance, Kenya has been facing nation-wide protests since mid-June led by the Gen Z and youth in the country demanding for accountability from their leaders. Related to the revolutionary movement, we are joined by Dr. Abraham Rugo who has spent decades interacting with grassroots movements with the aim of creating change and maximizing on accountability mechanisms especially in the budget making process. #TheKenyanist #Podcast #Kenya #PublicPolicy #RejectFinanceBill2024

    55 min
  6. Taking Stock of the EAC: Leadership, Competition and Security

    20/12/2023

    Taking Stock of the EAC: Leadership, Competition and Security

    Somalia was recently formally admitted into the East African Community, a regional bloc with aspirations for deeper economic and political union. Somalia joins a more expanded bloc with members Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, South-Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The recent admissions into the bloc have drawn criticism, with some analysts arguing that South Sudan, DRC and now Somalia are unstable and would bring instability into an already fragile region. However, others have argued that Somalia’s admission was long due as the people of Somalia are already deeply embedded within the East African Community besides sharing a border with Kenya. Our guest, Dr Sylvanus Wekesa, agrees with the latter. He is a foreign policy expert and a Research Associate at the African Leadership Centre, King’s College London. In a previous episode of the Kenyanist, he helped us understand Kenya’s foreign policy during President Uhuru Kenyatta’s time in office. That episode can be found by following this link https://www.thekenyanist.com/kenyas-foreign-policy-in-uhuru-kenyattas-era/

    43 min
  7. A New Middle Class in Kenya: Faking It to Make It

    06/12/2023

    A New Middle Class in Kenya: Faking It to Make It

    Most Kenyan youths live under the gloom of economic uncertainty which leads to hopelessness. This has been against a backdrop of multiple interventions from the government and other stakeholders. Regardless, the subject of youth and livelihoods has endured massive interest within Kenya, with the youth bulge described as an ‘opportunity’ and a ‘ticking time bomb’ in some quarters. What cannot be understated however is that the conversations are often single sided focusing on youth unemployment which leads to other conversation son how young men find themselves in crime. A less talked about group is the youthful middle class and the challenges they face since their issues take a backseat as the government focuses on dealing with crime and unemployment.  In this episode, we hosted Dr. Peter Lockwood who is a political economist and research fellow at the University of Manchester and has done research on the issues facing the youths in Kenya to give us a better perspective. More details about Peter’s work can be found by following this link ⁠https://www.graduateinstitute.ch/discover-institute/peter-lockwood-0⁠

    44 min
  8. Dispossession and voluntarism: The dynamics of Community Health Work in Kenya

    06/12/2023

    Dispossession and voluntarism: The dynamics of Community Health Work in Kenya

    In a past episode of the Kenyanist, we talked about reforming the NHIF, which the government has recently undertaken to improve healthcare delivery. We also heard about how African countries spend about 6% of their GDP on health, which is less than the 9.5% of GDP in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Yet, the Abuja Declaration commits African countries to invest 14% of the national budget in health. It is no secret, therefore, that many problems affect the healthcare system in African countries, including Kenya, with issues such as poor infrastructure, unharmonized medical records, inadequate personnel, and insufficient healthcare financing. African Governments, and indeed Kenya, are attempting to address the problem of manpower and financing by adopting the use of Community Health Workers, usually working as volunteers. Yet, this complicates things further, as health is a devolved function under the 2010 Constitution, and county governments claim they have no funding for community health. We brought Dr. Kathy Dodworth, a Research Fellow at the Centre of African Studies at the University of Edinburgh, to talk about the role of Community Health Work in Kenya. You can read about Kathy’s work on this topic by following this link https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953623004835?via%3Dihub

    40 min
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Trailer

About

In ‘The Kenyanist’, we step back from the rush of current affairs to take a broader and deeper view of issues that Kenyans fight about. In each episode, Kamau Wairuri speaks to an expert who will help us understand a particular social or political issue better and hopefully propose how we can address some of our most pressing challenges as a society. Disclaimer: The views expressed by the guests on the show are not necessarily those of the host.

Information

  • Creator
    Kamau Wairuri
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2024
  • Episodes
    29
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Kamau Wairuri
  • Show Website
    The Kenyanist