Joseph Maina
22 July 2026
If you’re Kenyan, watch out – Vladimir Putin wants your soul
The Russian Orthodox Church is building churches in Kenya and is looking to expand its influence. But somehow Kenyans are still ending up dead in Ukraine
Read the full article10 July 2026
On devolution, forget Burnham’s Manchester. The real answers are in Kenya
Kenya inherited a post-colonial state where power was held tightly in the centre. But after an outbreak of political violence in 2007, everything changed
Read the full article18 June 2026
Trump’s Kenyan ebola facility has killed more people than it’s treated
The US is not allowing anyone with ebola into the country, so the government has built a treatment centre for Americans in Kenya. It’s the one nation in the region that’s clear of the disease. Locals are not happy
Read the full article20 May 2026
USAID looked like an act of generosity – but it wasn’t
African governments always knew western aid came with strings attached. When the US, UK and France cut their aid budgets, the time had come for a change. The results could transform the continent
Read the full article01 April 2026
Why is Trump so obsessed with Somalia?
He appears to view the country like an African Iran – not so much a country with a history, but a political malfunction, to be solved by shouting, threats and bombing. Which, of course, doesn’t work
Read the full article18 March 2026
The Africans dying in Putin’s failing war
The Russian army is luring Kenyans to fight in Ukraine. Processed and sent to the front after minimal training, most of them are dying before their first pay cheque has even cleared
Read the full article11 February 2026
The remains of the coke-snorting, boozing British empire
In the Kenyan mountains, a collection of colonial-era party houses is slowly rotting away. What should a nation do with the remains of its imperial past?
Read the full article04 February 2026
The government did nothing, so we’ve done it all ourselves
One neighbourhood in Nairobi is now so commercially successful that it has become a regional trade hub
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