Daily Nation RSS Feeds: Jaindi Kisero /blogs/-/446696/446696/-/12tvk6fz/-/index.html Jockeying for influence behind the gift-to-Kibaki petrol station saga http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/Jockeying-for-influence-behind-petrol-station-saga/-/446696/1852748/-/b1t52c/-/index.html I hold no brief for retired President Mwai. 2013-05-14T17:00:00Z Advice to Balala: Kenya will prosper if you don’t mistreat mining interests http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/Advice-to-Balala/-/446696/1845380/-/9fyqpk/-/index.html Here is a piece of advice for Mr Najib Balala, President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Cabinet nominee for the new Ministry of Mining 2013-05-07T17:00:23Z Why the corporate chiefs appointed Cabinet Secretaries must be patriots http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/Why-cabinet-nominees-must-be-patriots/-/446696/1762744/-/yy6ep9/-/index.html I was pleasantly surprised to see the name of former Barclays Bank chief executive officer Adan Mohammed in the list of President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Cabinet nominees 2013-04-30T17:00:00Z Now that a Cabinet of technocrats is on the way, how will things change? http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/How-will-things-change/-/446696/1756392/-/pwjnfhz/-/index.html At last, President Uhuru Kenyatta has unveiled his first four nominees to the new Cabinet 2013-04-23T17:00:00Z What Kenyatta can do differently from Kibaki to run economy better http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/What-Kenyatta-can-do-differently-from-Kibaki/-/446696/1743782/-/o27livz/-/index.html I found myself reflecting on what President Uhuru Kenyatta could do differently from his predecessor in terms of managing the economy. 2013-04-09T16:00:00Z New public appointments should not perpetuate culture of ‘our turn to eat’ http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/New-public-appointments/-/446696/1737348/-/omqq3tz/-/index.html I am looking forward to seeing the new government move quickly to put in place a core economic management team composed of people from both the private and public sector 2013-04-02T16:00:00Z Disputes over offices for governors points to tough transition ahead http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/Row-over-offices-for-governors-points-to-tough-transition-ahead/-/446696/1731040/-/yoo3vrz/-/index.html With county governors being sworn in today, Kenya is at a decisive stage in the implementation of the devolved system of government. 2013-03-26T17:00:00Z Too many questions surround the IT systems collapse during the election http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/Too-many-questions-surround-IT-collapse/-/446696/1724936/-/vyut2d/-/index.html With the presidential petitions already filed, our hands are now tied by the sub judice rule which prohibits commenting on the substance of the allegations and arguments being canvassed before the judges 2013-03-19T17:00:00Z IEBC must explain its own reckless announcements and systems failure http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/IEBC-must-explain/-/446696/1718430/-/2344fnz/-/index.html I am praying that the Supreme Court will not let the presidential election petition filed by Prime Minister Raila Odinga drag on for too long 2013-03-12T17:00:00Z Why the hurry to sign a multi-billion shilling deal just before the elections? http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/Why-the-hurry-to-sign-deal-before-elections/-/446696/1685536/-/bkphm2z/-/index.html Why rush to commit the government to a Sh17 billion project just before the elections? 2013-02-05T17:00:00Z Manifestos, as they go, are quite fine, but where are the economic thinkers? http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/-/446696/1679000/-/3jd3bl/-/index.html I have just gone through the manifesto put out by the Cord alliance on Tuesday. I gather that the other big grouping, Jubilee, will publish its economic blueprint next week. 2013-01-29T14:42:43Z Watch out for PSs and ministers sealing fishy deals ahead of polls http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/Watch-out-for-fishy-deals-ahead-of-polls/-/446696/1672552/-/1574pqn/-/index.html We need to be more vigilant about decisions permanent secretaries and ministers are taking between now and the time a new Cabinet is appointed. 2013-01-22T17:00:00Z We have spent as though there’s no tomorrow, and we shall pay for it http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/We-have-spent-as-though-theres-no-tomorrow/-/446696/1666456/-/q7onvz/-/index.html I am not a pessimist, but I disagree when politicians make dishonest presentations of economic realities just to score propaganda points at political rallies. 2013-01-15T17:00:00Z How to issue fake bonds and make millions without breaking a sweat http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/How-to-issue-fake-bonds-and-make-millions/-/446696/1655604/-/mrulq1/-/index.html I had never heard about a case of fake bonds being sold in the market since the government reintroduced bond auctions in May 2002. 2013-01-01T15:36:08Z When some say we can actually beat sanctions, this is the stuff of fantasy http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/Beating-sanctions-is-the-stuff-of-fantasy/-/446696/1636552/-/lceg3cz/-/index.html When you hear presidential candidates speak at political rallies, they don’t come through as if they have a good grasp of economic issues or policies. 2012-12-04T19:00:00Z If you must force foreign firms to cede shares to locals, do so transparently http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/Cede-shares-to-locals-transparently/-/446696/1630474/-/yemrtcz/-/index.html If you are the proprietor of a foreign company wishing to invest in the mining sector in Kenya, you have to be prepared to sell 35 per cent of the shareholding to a Kenyan citizen. 2012-11-27T16:07:21Z While electing the Nairobi governor, we need to shun the ‘Kanju’ mindset http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/-/446696/1625266/-/3g7naq/-/index.html Big personalities, no big ideas. That is how I summarise the quality of individuals who have so far expressed interest in the post of governor of Nairobi. 2012-11-20T16:13:17Z On taxes, I reiterate that laws must be framed with the payers in mind http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/-/446696/1619366/-/3fnwgk/-/index.html Last week, I commented on the whopping Sh5.6 billion judgment which Mr Justice Isaac Lenaola recently slapped on four Coca Cola bottling plants. 2012-11-13T16:47:37Z The taxman must not kill investor confidence and jobs chasing money http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/Taxman-must-not-kill-investor-confidence/-/446696/1613200/-/layfl4z/-/index.html A recent case in which a court ordered four Coca Cola bottling plants to pay the Kenya Revenue Authority a whopping Sh5.6 billion in a dispute 2012-11-06T15:24:56Z On the issue of biometric equipment from Canada, we were badly duped http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/-/446696/1607368/-/3f0ywy/-/index.html I am a little apprehensive about the manner in which the so-called government-to-government deal under which we are buying the technology we shall use to register voters was negotiated and concluded. 2012-10-30T16:26:22Z Report inspiring but must Judiciary really sacrifice quality for concrete? http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/Must-Judiciary-sacrifice-quality-for-concrete/-/446696/1593504/-/31olh3z/-/index.html I have just read the State of the Judiciary report that was launched last week. Clearly, the Judiciary is changing quietly but in very fundamental ways. 2012-10-23T16:15:33Z Don’t kill private pension schemes to prop up a behemoth like the NSSF http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/Dont-kill-private-pension-schemes-/-/446696/1534934/-/spy9hf/-/index.html Why is government trying to kill the private pensions industry and prop up the National Social Security Fund? 2012-10-16T15:54:14Z Sugar factories have been oppressing growers for too long; free the industry http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/-/446696/1529512/-/2w7r2i/-/index.html The scramble for sugar-cane between millers is getting messier by the day. 2012-10-09T15:21:21Z On the vexed issue of the unclaimed assets authority, ministry has goofed http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/Ministry-goofed-on-unclaimed-assets-authority/-/446696/1523466/-/13ot377/-/index.html You don’t start building a house from the roof. In implementing the Unclaimed Assets Act, the Ministry of Finance has completely missed the plot. 2012-10-02T16:45:34Z Kenya is sliding towards a recurrent costs crisis and taxpayers will suffer http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/Kenya-sliding-towards-a-recurrent-costs-crisis-/-/446696/1517520/-/qj7i1xz/-/index.html I don’t agree with those who view the recent strikes as reflecting a return of worker militancy in the public sector. 2012-09-25T17:11:20Z The way government is handling the Panpaper issue not very transparent http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/-/446696/1511116/-/2vfkh4/-/index.html I am not too sure that the government is handling the revival of Panpaper Ltd very well.  2012-09-18T14:50:37Z Industrial peace eludes us because of inexcusable inequalities in pay http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/Industrial-peace-eludes-us-/-/446696/1504334/-/jxnvb6/-/index.html Our own version of “Winter of discontent” is with us. We are witnessing the return of mass striking in the public sector. 2012-09-11T14:44:59Z Role of Kibaki’s private secretary as parastatal board chair raises issues http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/Kibaki-secretary-at-parastatal-raises-issues-/-/446696/1496458/-/jslly0z/-/index.html President Kibaki’s private secretary Nick Wanjohi must be an extremely powerful man. 2012-09-04T16:33:32Z Fights over big projects are all about politics and patronage of resources http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/Fights-over-big-projects-are-all-about-politics/-/446696/1484372/-/ilxvhsz/-/index.html On the surface, the decision by Transport minister Amos Kimunya to cancel the procurement of the Sh60 billion airport expansion project would appear to have been caused by differences over technicalities. 2012-08-21T16:22:28Z Procurement rules are placing road blocks in way of State corporations http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/Rules-place-roadblocks-in-way-of-corporations/-/446696/1479210/-/yr1hg3/-/index.html The public procurement system needs an overhaul. 2012-08-14T16:01:18Z Unless commercial banks curb their greed, Kenya’s economy will choke http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/Unless-banks-curb-greed-economy-will-choke/-/446696/1450310/-/td00kq/-/index.html Banks in this country are very greedy.  How else do you explain the fact that they are unwilling to bring interests rates down even after the Central Bank of Kenya recently brought down the Central Bank Rate by a significant margin? 2012-07-10T16:34:47Z This country sorely needs a Capital Markets Authority chief with clout http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/Kenya-sorely-needs-a-CMA-chief-with-clout/-/446696/1443650/-/yhrp8g/-/index.html My long experience in journalism has taught me that a public official who has just left office will always be an invaluable source of news and information. 2012-07-03T15:49:21Z Why is so much government money sitting idle in special bank accounts? http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/Why-is-government-money-sitting-idle/-/446696/1436366/-/10wl1guz/-/index.html When the government sold the Grand Regency Hotel to Libyan investors for about Sh3.1 billion three years ago, you would have expected that the money would have gone straight into the Exchequer and released immediately to fund government operations. 2012-06-26T16:14:51Z We may have to wait longer for cheap power if the financiers have their way http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/We-may-have-to-wait-longer-for-cheap-power/-/446696/1430992/-/j4yyc2/-/index.html When will the Kenyan consumer start enjoying cheaper electricity? I was hoping that the deal we are forging with Ethiopians would mature quickly. 2012-06-19T15:41:28Z Githae must strike balance as counties come on board http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/Githae-must-strike-balance--as-counties-come-on-board-/-/446696/1426966/-/ra3pr8/-/index.html Finance minister Njeru Githae will be walking a tight rope as he reads this year’s Budget, which has come in the context of declining revenues, high food prices, an unstable currency and an expanding government bureaucracy. 2012-06-13T17:04:15Z Saitoti was no reformist but he did have an impact on economic policy http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/Saitoti-was-no-reformist-but-he-did-have-an-impact-/-/446696/1426208/-/152hiv7/-/index.html When economic historians get down to write about the evolution of economic policy-making in Kenya, there will be a chapter on Prof George Saitoti’s years at the Treasury. 2012-06-12T16:31:31Z Stock-brokers making a killing out of advisory services, but is it ethical? http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/-/446696/1421328/-/2cyf8j/-/index.html Whenever shares are floated in the market, stock-brokers almost kill one another, fighting for the opportunity to offer advisory services. Some engage in blatant undercutting. 2012-06-05T17:03:17Z If we don’t minimise terror acts, our risk factor will shoot through the roof http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/Minimise-terror-acts-or-risk-factor-will-shoot-up/-/446696/1416190/-/hqftfvz/-/index.html We must urgently stop the spate of bombings and grenade attacks before these merchants of terror destroy our tourism sector. 2012-05-29T16:23:50Z Have we resorted to nationalising foreign firms investing in Kenya? http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/-/446696/1411254/-/2ccumb/-/index.html This is confiscation by another name. How do you wake up one morning and order a foreign 2012-05-22T17:00:00Z NHIF: Investigate by all means but ensure poor out-patients are insured http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/-/446696/1401970/-/2bqh9u/-/index.html I refuse to look at the current goings-on at the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) through the obsessive 2012-05-08T17:00:00Z Powers of the Treasury to rationalise budget allocations should be returned http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/-/446696/1397536/-/1xbo9r/-/index.html The chief registrar of the Judiciary, Ms Gladys Shollei, makes a valid case when she 2012-05-01T17:00:00Z Despite the mischief played by MPs, regulating Central Bank was spot-on http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/-/446696/1393088/-/1x8s7a/-/index.html Parliament finally passed the Finance Bill. But Finance minister Njeru Githae had to literally 2012-04-24T17:06:31Z Selling the family silver: Privatisation turning many Kenyans into destitutes http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/Privatisation-turning-many-Kenyans-into-destitutes/-/446696/1370178/-/dg7u8cz/-/index.html There is a story on Telkom Kenya in the current issue of our sister paper, the EastAfrican, which anybody interested in the subject of privatisation should read. 2012-03-20T16:09:33Z The economy is utterly ruined unless political temperatures are lowered http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/-/446696/1365608/-/1vfonc/-/index.html Until we get our politics right, this economy will not take off. We don’t even know when the elections will be held. Yet political temperatures are right now at fever point. 2012-03-13T15:19:50Z New Lamu Port will enhance Kenya’s position as a regional economic hub http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/-/446696/1360740/-/1vc8x9/-/index.html I confess that I was initially sceptical about the success of the Lamu Port corridor project.  2012-03-06T16:12:03Z Political interference does not augur well for firms with State shareholding http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/Political-interference-does-not-augur-well-for-firms/-/446696/1327488/-/346je3/-/index.html Why is President Mwai Kibaki getting involved in the shenanigans surrounding the battle for the control of the East African Portland Cement company? 2012-02-14T17:00:00Z NHIF should be more accountable to members of giant medical scheme http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/NHIF-should-be-more-accountable/-/446696/1322052/-/14p0t9q/-/index.html The government has stopped paying medical allowance to civil servants and teachers. 2012-02-07T15:31:00Z Finance minister Githae has a highly daunting task in the coming months http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/Githae-has-a-highly-daunting-task-in-the-coming-months-/-/446696/1317650/-/e4ctivz/-/index.html In my long career as a business journalist and regular commentator on economic issues, I have seen many Finance ministers come and go. 2012-01-31T17:39:19Z Resentment against Kenyan Somalis fed by myths rising alarmingly fast http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/Resentment-against-Kenyan-Somalis-fed-by-myths-rising-very-fast-/-/446696/1313302/-/an7nsd/-/index.html We will not admit it publicly. But this country is gripped by a new wave of resentment of the Kenyan Somali. 2012-01-24T16:27:10Z What’s happening at the cement firm is part of government’s shenanigans http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/-Govt-shenanigans-at-the-cement-firm/-/446696/1309092/-/hbx1q5z/-/index.html We have our own version of Occupy Wall Street at East African Portland Cement Company. 2012-01-17T17:00:00Z Holding the Finance Bill hostage to a plethora of amendments defeatist http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/Holding-the-Finance-Bill-hostage-defeatist-/-/446696/1299636/-/rkuxyxz/-/index.html With Parliament having gone on recess before passing the Finance Bill, pundits were predicting the situation would plunge government financial operations into a mess. 2012-01-03T15:17:27Z Since our industrial relations policy is dysfunctional, expect more strikes http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/-/446696/1289074/-/1dnog9/-/index.html The strike by doctors has not been called off after all. And, it is still too early to tell how negotiations for higher salaries between the government and university lecturers will pan out. 2011-12-13T19:51:54Z High interest rates will stifle growth and also prevent public borrowing http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/High-interest-rates-will-stifle-growth-/-/446696/1277676/-/ybevi5/-/index.html These are the times when the National Economic Council should come in should come in, take leadership, and guide us through the current interest rates crisis. 2011-11-22T17:20:43Z We face a transition like Zambia’s; what’s the agenda of our hopefuls? http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/We-face-a-transition-like-Zambia/-/446696/1273676/-/rqr0twz/-/index.html In October last year, I visited Lusaka in Zambia to gather information on a story about the privatisation of the energy sector in sub-Saharan Africa. 2011-11-15T14:54:16Z Doing away with exemptions and zero-rating will simplify taxation http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/-/446696/1269474/-/1cfosg/-/index.html Ask me what the acronym VAT stands for and I will not hesitate in telling you that it means “Very Annoying Tax”. 2011-11-08T14:57:05Z The intriguing boardroom battle is power politics; save this motor firm http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/The-intriguing-boardroom-battle-is-power-politics/-/446696/1265552/-/mm5jiyz/-/index.html The boardroom tiff at the jewel in the crown of Kenya’s motor industry, the CMC Group, which is a listed company, is stirring stuff. 2011-11-01T14:20:11Z We engaged in too much conspicuous consumption and we must pay for it http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/We-engaged-in-too-much-conspicuous-consumption-/-/446696/1261642/-/9w2r2q/-/index.html Delegates from the International Monetary Fund are still in town holding discussions with the government. 2011-10-25T15:37:11Z Creating medical insurance scheme for civil servants fraught with danger http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/-/446696/1257668/-/1brssx/-/index.html The government should cancel and rethink plans to create a medical scheme for civil servants. 2011-10-18T15:23:26Z Why minister has sent the right signals to financial markets http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/Why-minister-has-sent-the-right-signals-to-financial-markets-/-/446696/1255004/-/ek9d1gz/-/index.html Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance emerges after a three hour meeting to announce what is so far the strongest pitch for the restoration of calm in the financial markets. 2011-10-13T17:56:39Z With the parlous state of the shilling, all-round austerity is clearly required http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/With-the-state-shilling-austerity-is-required-/-/446696/1253748/-/88wqgaz/-/index.html The financial markets are in a state of panic. The instability of the shilling has nothing to do with some conspiracy theory. 2011-10-11T16:33:19Z There’s need to get to the root of our problems and how to stabilise shilling http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/Theres-need-to-get-to-the-root-of-our-problems-/-/446696/1248000/-/is56a1/-/index.html The statement last Thursday by President Kibaki about the government taking steps to stabilise the shilling was very timely. 2011-10-04T17:26:22Z Something must be done urgently to shore up the dwindling shilling http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/-/446696/1244000/-/1b423t/-/index.html The shilling has gone haywire. I am not worried about the level of the shilling per se but its volatility. 2011-09-27T15:35:31Z Save the shilling by flooding market with dollars so speculators can lose http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/Flooding-market-with-dollars-to-save-shilling/-/446696/1239726/-/extcwf/-/index.html The shilling is badly undervalued. I do not want to shout fire in a crowded theatre. 2011-09-20T14:52:58Z Unplanned ‘informalisation’ to blame for the disasters that are urban slums http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/-/446696/1235716/-/1aid1x/-/index.html Oil is a dangerous business, perhaps more so to life and limb — more prone to fatalities — than nuclear power. 2011-09-13T15:53:18Z Stop postponing difficult decisions to make county governments reality http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/Stop-postponing-difficult-decisions/-/446696/1231508/-/hs7uwd/-/index.html This devolution thing is evolving into a veritable Tower of Babel. Clearly, part of the problem is that we did not cater for a transitional authority to midwife and steer the process of transferring specific functions to the grassroots. 2011-09-06T15:02:57Z Lumumba is gone, so why not give the anti-corruption job to Githongo? http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/Lumumba-is-gone-why-not-give-job-to-Githongo-/-/446696/1228000/-/5xu1q2z/-/index.html The hypocrisy displayed by MPs last Thursday was sickening. Prof Patrick Lumumba’s most strident critics on the floor of the House were facing on-going investigations by the Kenya Anti-Corruption Authority. 2011-08-30T16:08:57Z Dispute over how to fund counties not over: Harmonise the two Bills http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/Dispute-over-how-to-fund-counties-not-over/-/446696/1223994/-/o88gxj/-/index.html With the term of the task force on devolution having been supposed to end on Monday, their opponents over the vexed issue of the appropriate public financial management for a devolved system had hoped they would have their way. 2011-08-23T16:03:04Z War over county financing: Both sides seem to have missed the point http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/-/446696/1219978/-/19d49a/-/index.html It has been described as the battle of the deputy prime ministers fighting over the control of implementing the devolution chapter of the new Constitution. 2011-08-16T15:16:07Z Kenya must learn to interrogate credentials of potential investors http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/-/446696/1216216/-/19aun7/-/index.html Very big things are happening in the geothermal energy sector. Mega-projects and multi-million dollar contracts are in different stages of being rolled out. 2011-08-09T16:14:21Z Medical insurance proposal for civil servants bogged down by sheer size http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/Medical-insurance-proposal-for-civil-servants-bogged-down-/-/446696/1212296/-/uxdsy2/-/index.html The government is in a tight spot over the proposed medical scheme for civil servants. 2011-08-02T15:11:29Z Bid to sell unclaimed assets infringes on Kenyans’ right to private property http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/-/446696/1208240/-/18ppgp/-/index.html Laisamis MP Joseph Lekuton is a little-known legislator without much of a national profile or recognition. 2011-07-26T16:43:13Z Delays in implementing projects to blame for electricity crisis http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/Delays-in-implementing-projects-to-blame-for-electricity-crisis-/-/446696/1207762/-/122k3js/-/index.html Kenya could be forced to hire more expensive emergency generators as the country plunges into crippling power shortages that have forced Kenya Power to resort to rationing. 2011-07-25T17:28:59Z Visit wasn’t about reviving Nyayo Car; it was to do with a steel-mill http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/Visit-wasnt-about-reviving-Nyayo-Car/-/446696/1204078/-/cp1seiz/-/index.html I was intrigued to see the Nyayo Pioneer Car again on television on Monday, during the visit by President Kibaki and Prime Minister Odinga to the Numerical Machining Complex. 2011-07-19T13:44:43Z Public service salaries and wages fast out-stripping government revenues http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/Public-service-wages-out-stripping-govt/-/446696/1199700/-/hkffht/-/index.html It does not matter to me whether it is Mr Charles Nyachae or Public Service head Francis Muthaura, who is right on the issue of salaries 2011-07-12T14:53:51Z Colonial-style banking of exorbitant lending rates is stifling growth http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/Colonial-style-banking-is-stifling-growth-/-/446696/1195000/-/g1n4poz/-/index.html In less than three months, President Kibaki has several times expressed concern about high interest rate spreads. 2011-07-05T13:26:49Z Failure to revive coffee union means farmers can’t gain from high prices http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/Failure-to-revive-union-means-farmers-cant-gain-/-/446696/1190898/-/ap3f1qz/-/index.html Last week, I had the opportunity to tour some major coffee estates in the Thika-Ruiru area 2011-06-28T16:22:46Z Currency speculators are not the problem; spendthrift policies are http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/Currency-speculators-are-not-the-problem/-/446696/1186558/-/vtxlmoz/-/index.html On Tuesday, the shilling fell to a low of 91 to the US dollar. The Central Bank has reportedly commenced investigations. 2011-06-21T14:55:50Z A depreciating shilling good for our importers? Tell it to the birds http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/-/446696/1180918/-/tevqv/-/index.html There is this theory that a weak shilling is good for exporters. The theory is a complete fallacy. 2011-06-14T15:37:46Z Uhuru’s financial statement must seek to prepare Kenyans for austerity http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/Uhuru-must-seek-to-prepare-Kenyans-for-austerity-/-/446696/1176600/-/s6epwz/-/index.html In his budget last year, Mr Uhuru Kenyatta announced that the government would no longer buy vehicles. 2011-06-07T13:48:56Z Why we must allow Uhuru to present Budget speech to the House on June 8 http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/Why-we-must-allow-Uhuru-to-present-Budget-speech-/-/446696/1172682/-/d6rx58/-/index.html I claim no authority in interpreting legal text. But as a seasoned journalist who has followed and covered the Budget-making process for more than 20 years, I have sufficient knowledge to appreciate when things are going wrong. 2011-05-31T16:21:28Z