Mukhwana Writes

By Micah Mukhwana Namunyu  |Photo Courtesy of American Civil Liberties Union| When Donald Trump speaks about immigrants, the world listens. He has been harsh on foreign students and on those who move illegally to America. Africans have been at the centre of this debate. Many see his stance as discriminatory and hostile. But if we go deeper into the legal and political issues, there is another side to it. Immigration law and sovereignty Every country has the right under international law to control who enters its borders. America, like any other state, sets the rules for visas, studies, work and citizenship. Trump uses that legal space to limit immigration, especially from Africa and other regions he calls problematic. His critics view it as racism. But in strict law, he is exercising sovereign power. The tension arises when sovereignty collides with human rights. International law protects the right to seek asylum, the right to education and the right to family life. If a policy is...

|Photo Courtesy| Africa is one of the most promising places in the world for investment today. The continent is full of opportunities for those willing to look beyond old narratives. From natural resources to fast growing cities and a youthful population, Africa is moving forward in a way that attracts serious business attention. Investors from across the globe are now focusing on Africa not as a charity case but as a place where business can grow and succeed. Africa has the youngest population in the world. More than sixty percent of Africans are under the age of twenty five. This means the continent has a growing labor force and a rising number of consumers. In countries like Nigeria, Ethiopia and Kenya young people are driving demand for tech, fashion, food and education. Businesses that serve this group will have a steady market for many years to come. The continent is also urbanising faster than any other region. Cities like Nairobi, Lagos, Kigali, Accra and Johannesburg are expan...

  |Photo Courtesy of Mieroszewski Centre| The question we must ask The world today is watching two wars that have shaken not only the regions where they are fought but also global politics. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 continues with no end in sight. In Gaza, the fighting between Israel and Hamas has caused immeasurable human suffering. Into this storm comes Donald Trump with bold promises. He says he can end the Russia Ukraine war quickly, and even more strikingly, that he can end the Gaza war in 24 hours once he returns to the White House. These claims raise questions worth asking. Can one man really stop wars that are rooted in history, law, broken promises and deep mistrust? Or are such promises more politics than reality? Let us walk through the history, the law and some African experiences of peace to see what lessons can be drawn. How Ukraine got here The Russia Ukraine war did not begin in 2022. Its roots stretch back to the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, when Uk...

By Micah Mukhwana Namunyu In the 1990s and early 2000s, Africa was seen as a growing democracy. Countries across the continent embraced multiparty elections and regional bodies like the AU and ECOWAS supported constitutional rule and civilian leadership. The African Charter on Democracy (2007) even outlawed military coups. But in recent years, this progress has reversed. Between 2020 and 2024, at least six coups happened in the Sahel—Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger among them. Military leaders took over, suspended constitutions and promised to fix things. Unlike the coups of the 1970s and 1980s, these ones are also openly rejecting Western influence and creating their own alliance, the AES. The bigger question now is whether these coups signal deeper problems with Western led development models in Africa. Challenging the Usual System These military governments have kicked out French troops, cut ties with ECOWAS and are now working more with Russia, Turkey and China. They say civilian gove...

In a mature democracy such as USA political campaigns are primarily funded through a combination of individual donations, political action committees (PACs), and sometimes public funding.  David Maraga, CJ emeritus is a potential presidential candidate in 2027 elections. His plans to fund his campaign effectively by relying on small, grassroots contributions from ordinary Kenyans, starting as low as KSh 10 or 50, rather than depending on wealthy donors or political elites is liberating.  By engaging with communities through nationwide town hall meetings and collaborating with influencers like musicians and content creators to appeal to younger voters, Maraga aims to create a people-driven movement. It is exactly what Kenya should embrace, to do away with garbage in, garbage out in Kenya's political campaigns.  We no longer need stolen money being used to mobilize us, we need Kenyans to fund their own candidates just the same way USA does. 

  The president’s recent directive to police on July 9, 2025, following the Saba Saba demonstration, aims to curb violence but leaves uncertainty about who incites looting to discredit the Gen Z protests. Without clear evidence identifying the culprits, whether opportunists or state-sponsored goons, is a tall order. This directive, according to me, risks punishing innocent demonstrators, something that troubles me deeply, as it could escalate an already volatile situation. Most Gen Z protesters are always driven by frustration over economic hardship and police brutality; they demonstrate peacefully and do not deserve such harsh measures from the government. For instance, Albert Ojwang's case, a blogger who was killed in a police cell last month for criticising police brutality, and Bridget Njoki Wainaina, a civilian who was shot dead by a stray bullet on July 7, 2025, in Nairobi. This shows the tragic loss of innocent people not involved in looting or violence. How can such situati...