Felix Kilonzo

US president Barrack Obama’s continental visit to Africa is significant not only to Africa as a continent but also to the leadership. This is not a new trend to Africa when it comes to US-Africa relations. President Obama is not the first US chief to come to Africa but joins the club of the world leaders who use their state visits to the continent as a tool to foster democracy and bring to an end to the impunity that is grossly protected by our tribal and religious affiliated governments. But as much as I agree with the US foreign policy, I think there other issues that they should consider to foster a symbiotic kind of relations with the African nations. If I take you back to the Mobutu seseko days in Zaire (now DRC), the US supported the Dictator despite the obvious that they were supposed to foster democracy. Going with Obama’s history as the president of USA, snubbing Kenya is not a new thing. In his first term as president, he visited Ghana only and ignored Kenya. Analysts...

Whoever overlooked the governors terming them as P.O Box county headquarters should reconsider the thought. This is simply because Kenya governors may be the highest paid politicians in Kenya if the current trend in Bungoma County is anything to go by. Apart from being paid by the state, Governor Kenneth Lusaka will enjoy a total of ksh53Million in the fiscal year 2013/14. Kindly have your calculators out, take 53m divide by 12 months. It’s surprisingly that the office of the governor shall be entertained by kes4.42M. If you disagreed with the Mpigs then you won’t even argue with this new Excellencies in our counties. They told you and they are now implementing the said talk. I do remember the Naivasha retreat, of course I should remember because it was the last official duty as a reporter for Chimpreports, the governors asked the SRC to review their packs to prevent what came out yesterday. I would be politically correct to say, “Kusema na Kutenda” is the govern...

By Maureen Sambu (June 2011) ‘Life is at its best described as an illusion’, those are words Felix Kilonzo. Felix is among young students who have had their story neglected. He looks charistimatic and a little bit nervous when I met him for interview. He is currently a student at the Mount Kenya University (2011).  Felix was born in on 1st January 21 years ago (2011) and is the last born of the family of  3 of the late Mr. and Mrs. Kilonzo of Machakos district currently Machakos county. Like any other child, he attended his elementary education at various schools namely St.Monica preparatory school in Kajiado County and Mung’ala Primary School 1997 before his mother transferring him to kyumbi primary in 1999. Asked why he transferred from school to school, he says, ‘my mother wanted I get closer to her because she thought I was getting out of hand.’ The year 1999 to Felix, remain a year that made him what he is perusing today. He realized his dre...

In the first part of this inside story we talked about the ceasefire and commitment of the cease fire documents signing Do you think recent attacks allegedly by Rwasa Agathon forces of national liberation (FNL) will affect the A tenuous peace reached in 2005? And Finally, what is the stand the head of the Government of The CNDD-FDD Excellency Pierre Nkurunziza on NL rebels who did not signed a cease-fire in 2005?   According to Evelyn the fragility of the peace is often threatened by the rampant rebels who have threatened the peace of the people of the country. She said in a one to one interview “I think the FNL only now does not have sufficient force to cause a release any BUT very sure that yes, the fragility of peace is already assigned!”, she adds, “I know not if you live here in Burundi but I'd say that there are no security.  People are killed from day to day especially those belonging to opposition political parties by whom it is said by the police, I ...

As Africa marks the Day of the African child today the 16 th June the main challenge that has continued to pressure the African leadership is the unchartered for orphans who have been used as a bait by NGO’s. Many orphans have been registered by the so-called NGO’s with the aim of purportedly assistance for them to access basic needs like any other child in the continent. Just the other day, I was having a conversation with my grandmother who is 83. She is the one who brought me up since I was 2yrs old and took charge of me when I lost my mother in 2000. I was 10 then and she had a huge role of ensuring that I had education and later get my dream career. She asked me, “Do you think this people who enroll our children to their organizations with the aim of helping them do so?” I understood what she meant and it was rather tricky to answer. But on a journalistic point of view I gave her my opinion. It is the same opinion I wish to share with you. My cousin was reg...

With the gradual withdrawal by the foreign aid to East Africa, the EAC member states retreated to increasing revenue collections in order to face the constraint of the growing economy head on. The 4 east African member states Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania read their fiscal estimates which did not only underline their urge to attain their respective MDG goals that was crafted on economic sustainability. Kenya’s Treasury secretary Henry Rotich presented a Kes1.645Trillion budget that analyst’s term as ambitious and dangerous to implement the historic budget that came along with the devolution.     On the other part, Tanzania’s Finance minister William Mgimwa presented the Tshs18, 249 billions with the aim of fostering economic growth. In Rwanda Finance Minister Claver Gatete presented a RWF1,653.5 billion fiscal estimates where the government shall raise 60.2% from local sources and external funding resting the remainder. On the other hand the Ug...

Uganda’s fiscal year 2013/14 was set in line with the current global economy that according to finance Minister Maria Kiwanuka, GDP grossly impacted in the drafting of the fiscal expenditures. In her speech, Kiwanuka said ‘the framework has been developed in line with the recent trends in the domestic, regional and international economy.’ She farther added that the framework has been impacted by GDP sluggish recovery of the global economy, the performance of domestic revenues and expected level of external support from development partners. Important points to note are as follows, the Uganda Government roots to fund the budget locally amounting 81.1% representing Ugsh10,509billion while it expects Ugsh2,660 billion in external aid representing close to 20% of the total Budget in the FY2013/14. However the Treasury projects that the Taxman is expected to remit UShs8,486bn in form of taxes and Non-Tax Revenues of UShs275bn in addition projecting it at Ugsh8,761 represent...

The Uganda Budget which was unveiled at the Parliament buildings by the Finance Minister Maria Kiwanuka was said to be in line with the new blue print of vision 2040. In her opening remarks to the long budget speech Kiwanuka said that the budget seeks to provide a roadmap to transform Uganda from a low income to a modern middle income country within 30 years. The NRM government underlines that Vision 2040 requires a fundamental change on the way of doing things by Government and the Private Sector, to unlock the binding constraints to Uganda’s progress. Like Kenya’s Treasury Secretary Henry Rotich,  Kiwanuka noted to the Uganda Parliament that the budget is faced by several constraints and however the challenges are to be dealt with positively. “There are no quick answers to the challenges that face us today. The economic and social challenges we are working to address happened over several years and will take time to resolve. This requires patience and coordinati...

Kenya presented its Kes1.642b fiscal budget with the aim of fostering the economic posterity in the growing economy as we are the process of realizing the set vision 2030. The cabinet secretary for National treasury Rotich began his speech the statement that Majority of Kenyans are still food insecure and the government is in the aim of creating more jobs for the youth and women. The cabinet secretary farther underlined that the key issue in the budget reading is how the state plans revenue to finance the trillion budget and track the controlled economy as the country sets its foot on the devolved system of governance. Kenya projected that the global economic growth is expected to grow by 3.3% in 2014 and denotes that it remains resilient of 4.6% of 2012/3. The jubilee government however projects the economic growth to 5.8% and also plans to create a million jobs yearly. As the country resiliently fights to curb the growing territorial insurgency the government invested heavily on the ...

STATEMENT DELIVERED TO THE BUDGET AND APPROPRIATION COMMITTEE OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY ON 13THJUNE, 2013, BY MR. HENRY K. ROTICH, CABINET SECRETARY FOR THE NATIONAL TREASURY, REPUBLIC OF KENYA, WHEN HIGHLIGHTING THE BUDGET POLICY AND REVENUE RAISING MEASURES FOR FISCAL YEAR 2013/2014 1ST JULY, 2013 TO 30TH JUNE, 2014 ________________________________________ 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1. Overview 1. Hon Members, it is a great honour and privilege to present the highlights of the first budget of the Administration of H.E the President, Hon Uhuru Kenyatta, in accordance with section 40 (1) and (2) of the Public Finance Management Act, 2012, and Standing Order No.241 of the National Assembly. 2. But before I proceed, Hon Members, allow me to take this early opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to His Excellency the President for appointing me as Cabinet Secretary for the National Treasury and entrusting me with the important task of spearheading our agenda of transforming and elevating...