Africa Archives - Orals East Africa

CBK does not see Iran-war fertilizer shock, changing rosy outlook

Kenya is betting on the long rains to calm the rise in food prices, despite the US-Israeli war on Iran, blocking more than a quarter of expected fertilizer imports. Central Bank of Kenya Governor Dr Kamau Thugge said that Kenya had already

April 9, 2026

Poetry

before maize there was mtama

Balancing on a board of wood The other side extends a greeting We touch in water and they desire to pull me under Beneath the weight of water and wonder The fear of gripping mud and becoming part of this tectonic movement

February 26, 2026

Finance & Markets

Nairobi digital gateway to convert over 40,000 embassies queries into African trade

Real Sources Africa, Kenya’s trading company in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) will plug into data from embassies in a bid to tap over 42,000 business queries annually to complete trade deals. Kenyan Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for

February 16, 2026

Brands

Africa media looks to Nairobi for future forecast

African journalists and media leaders will meet in Nairobi looking to confront the crisis in the industry and find bold solutions for a sustaining the fourth estate. The Africa Media Festival (AMF), a regional experiment in 2023 that has grown into Africa’s

February 6, 2026

Economy & Politics

End of Pax-Americana; grim days ahead

I grew up in USAID estate in Kisumu. When I was my son’s age, we used to call it ‘You-Said’ or rather Uuusssaid with all the Luo accent you can imagine into the sss, and for a time that is what I

January 26, 2026

Book Review

Taban Lo Lyong’s After Troy

There is a master of the written word who follows no rules and takes no prisoners. He wears his skin as only a South Sudanese would and there is a fire in his eyes that even age cannot vicariate it smothering ember.

January 12, 2026

Long Read

The 2025 International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA), hosted by Ghana, underscored Africa’s vital role.

Over 40 million PLHIV through the first World AIDS Day Report by GNP+ are asking for minimum requirement for integrated HIV Services; transformative PLHIV participation, local context definition, recognition of our diversity, comprehensive care - including self-care - resilient systems, stigma-free services,

December 10, 2025

3 Little Birds·Health & Lifestyle

Lessons for leadership in times of crisis

I am known to say things like, “we are not interested in perfect here, we need people to move and fail as there is nothing that is too hard for our leadership to fix.”

February 13, 2025

3 Little Birds

How our African identities are coded in names

My father had a dream one day where his grandmother; my great grandmother Adah Ochumbo nya manyala told him my mother was carrying his gift.

December 12, 2024

Sleepy villages at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro. The mountain’s base measures up to 40 km across and covers an area of about 388,500 hectares.

Events & Travel·Long Read

Climbing Kilimanjaro, no downhill task

Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, which at 5,895 meters is the highest peak in Africa, is not for the weak of heart. Most importantly, it is not for the weak of pocket. I recently found myself on a flight from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport

October 29, 2024

Africa