By Samuel Owida

A Kenyan-born data scientist based in Washington, D.C. Pius Odhiambo has pioneered a groundbreaking digital education model that is reshaping learning in rural Kenya. 

Since its inception in 2020, the KISWATE Digital Academy has addressed major challenges faced by underserved communities by merging technology, cultural preservation, and grassroots support.

KISWATE—named from the Kiswahili phrase “KISWAhili TEkelezi,” meaning “functional Kiswahili”—embraces a dual mission: revitalizing the national language in neglected regions while deploying cutting-edge digital infrastructure designed specifically for rural schools.

Remarkably, it operates as a “school without walls,” serving over 15,000 students and 500 teachers across multiple counties without owning physical buildings.

At the core of KISWATE’s operations is the KISWATE Digital Attendance and Discipline Tracking Register (KDADTR), a Smart ID-based platform that automates daily school functions including attendance logging, discipline management, meal programs, and transport coordination.

“This technology has increased our school attendance rates by over 35% and improved discipline reporting accuracy to nearly 98%, compared to manual systems,” said Odhiambo, founder of KISWATE. 

This digital system enhances transparency and accountability in schools historically challenged by inefficient administrative processes,” he said

A persistent obstacle in Kenyan education has been the disproportionate teacher-student ratio, with some rural schools facing ratios as high as 1:70, far above the recommended 1:40.

This disproportionate phenomenon hasn’t been and can’t be addressed by the change of curriculum from decades-long 8:4:4 system of education to Curriculum Based Competency (CBC) to improved Curriculum Based Education (CBE).

KISWATE counters this by leveraging artificial intelligence-powered digital lessons and virtual classrooms, enabling personalized, interactive learning experiences regardless of teacher shortages.

“AI-driven tutoring allows students to learn at their own pace, filling gaps left by teacher scarcity,” said Jane Mwangi, a KISWATE e-learning coordinator.

This innovation ensures students in remote communities have equitable access to quality education.

Digitization also alleviates financial burdens on families by reducing reliance on costly printed textbooks, which can cost up to 30% of annual school fees. 

The academy’s digital textbooks significantly cut costs, easing economic pressures and helping keep children in school.

Beyond technology, KISWATE supports rural schools through scholarships, lunch programs, and community activities, melding modern innovation with vital humanitarian aid. 

About 45% of enrolled students receive some form of direct support from the academy.

The academy plans to launch a physical hub, “KISWATE Villa,” by late 2025 to merge its virtual presence with community engagement on the ground.

Additionally, KISWATE’s digital and AI solutions provide critical continuity in conflict-prone areas such as northern Kenya and Rift Valley regions affected by cattle rustling, enabling safe, remote learning where physical schooling is disrupted. 

“Insecurity no longer means the end of education for our children,” stated community leader Moses Lekape from Baringo County.

KISWATE stands as a powerful example of how diaspora expertise, technology, and community commitment can together transform Kenya’s educational landscape making learning accessible, affordable, and culturally relevant for rural learners.

This digital revolution could mark a turning point in achieving Kenya’s vision for inclusive, quality education for all.

By Patrick Amimo

The Government Delivery Unit (GDU) has stepped up oversight on the modernization of Kenya’s airports and airstrips in a renewed push to strengthen regional connectivity and position the country as an aviation hub in Africa.

Acting Head of the GDU, Mr. Olando Sitati, on Friday led a team of officers in a meeting with senior managers from the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA), led by Acting Managing Director Mr. Abraham Kiprutto and General Manager for Projects and Engineering Eng. Meshack Ochieng.

The session reviewed progress on priority airport and airstrip projects spread across all regions, forming part of the National Government’s promise to upgrade air transport infrastructure under President William Ruto’s transformation agenda, anchored in Kenya Vision 2030 and the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA).  

“Modern and efficient airports are key to positioning Kenya as a first-class economy by 2050,” said Mr. Sitati, reaffirming the government’s commitment to timely and impactful delivery of flagship infrastructure projects.

At Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), key projects include installation of modern passenger boarding bridges and ground-handling equipment by June 2026, construction of a new runway by June 2027, and a world-class passenger terminal by 2029. The upgrades are expected to enhance passenger experience, improve cargo handling, and reinforce JKIA’s role as a regional aviation hub.

The GDU and KAA teams also assessed the status of ongoing and planned works at several regional airstrips, including Kabunde, Lichota, Suneka, Malindi, Ukunda, Voi, Ikanga, Lokichoggio, Narok, Kilgoris, Bomet, Kerenga, Lanet, Garissa, Mandera, Elwak, Itugururu, Mitunguu, Nanyuki, Kakamega, Matulo, Busia, and Ithookwe.

Other major developments include the extension of the Eldoret International Airport runway to 3.5 kilometers to handle larger aircraft, widening of the Kisumu International Airport runway, rehabilitation of Moi International Airport airside grounds, and the expansion of the Malindi International Airport runway to 2.5 kilometers.

KAA has also identified a new site for the proposed Busia Airstrip, while plans are underway to upgrade the Boma, Elwak, Aldas, Kanyonyo, and Nyaribo airstrips.

According to the GDU, these high-impact investments are expected to enhance mobility, create jobs, attract investors, and decentralize aviation training across the country, thus driving Kenya’s vision for inclusive, modern, and sustainable growth.

 “These high-impact investments will connect regions, stimulate trade, and help Kenya realize its ambition of becoming a first-class economy by 2050.”

By Joshua O. Nyamori

There are moments in history when a people must look not outward, but inward – into the soul of their destiny.

Luo Nyanza stands at such a moment today.

The passing of Rt. Hon. Raila Odinga, CGH, has left a silence so deep it ripples from the plains of Kano to the hills of Got Ramogi and across the calm waters of Nam Lolwe. In that silence, a question rises: Who are we now, without him?

For more than half a century, Raila was not merely a political leader – he was a moral compass. His courage, endurance, and inclusivity gave the Luo nation an identity larger than politics. His friendship and eventual cooperation with HE. President William Samoei Ruto, CGH., shortly before his passing, was no coincidence. It was a signal – a vision for how our community could find its place in Kenya’s next chapter: not through perpetual resistance, but through strategic belonging.

The waters that cradle our story do not lie. Every river that nourishes Luo land – from Kuja to Awach, from Nyando to Sondu – begins its journey in the high ridges of the Nandi Hills. It is as though creation itself wrote a covenant between our peoples – that the destiny of the Luo and the Kalenjin is one of convergence, not conflict.

From the springs of Nandi to the calm of Nam Lolwe, the river does not ask who owns it; it only flows – giving life to all who draw from its path.

History reminds us that the Luo have always been stabilisers, not spoilers.
From the migration out of Bahr el-Ghazal to the Great Lakes, our ancestors carried with them not the spear, but the staff of governance. They built kingdoms, harmonised clans, and offered counsel across borders – from Bunyoro to Busoga. The Luo spirit has always been one of order, wisdom, and moral authority.

That spirit shaped the very foundations of Kenya.

When the young republic stood on shaky legs, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga gave it conscience – refusing the comfort of power at the cost of principle. In his final years, even Jaramogi found it prudent to cooperate with President Moi, choosing dialogue over division, stability over spectacle.

Tom Mboya gave Kenya structure – building institutions, negotiating labour, and drafting the blueprint for national progress. These were not men obsessed with power; they were architects of possibility.

And Raila Odinga, their heir in vision and courage, spent his lifetime weaving bridges where others built walls. When President Ruto ordered a State burial with full military and presidential honours for Raila, he did more than honour a man; he honoured a people. In that solemn salute, Kenya said to the Luo: We see you. We honour you. You are part of us.

That gesture was not mere ceremony; it was moral symbolism. It opened a bridge between memory and renewal – a bridge we must now walk across with dignity and purpose.

To walk with President Ruto is not to abandon our history; it is to fulfil it. It is to say that the ideals of Jaramogi, Mboya, and Raila – courage, fairness, inclusion – do not die with them; they live on through partnership and nation-building. The politics of permanent protest has run its course. The time has come for a politics of reconstruction.

Our young people – from Kanyada to Karachuonyo, from Manyatta to Muhoroni – are not asking for handouts. They are asking for direction, for meaning, for belonging. That meaning will not come from recycled divisions, but from participation – from being on the table where Kenya’s future is decided.

Let us not spend another decade watching from the fence while others shape the nation. Let us step forward, not as petitioners, but as partners. Let the Lake become a lighthouse once again – guiding the Republic with reason, culture, and courage.

The Luo have never been a people of retreat. We are a people of destiny.

And destiny now calls us – not to stand apart, but to stand tall.

To walk with President Ruto is not betrayal; it is continuation. It is the path Jaramogi would have reasoned, Mboya would have built, and Raila – in his final acts of statesmanship – already began to illuminate.

For in the end, the river that cleaves the valley does not divide it – it nourishes both sides. And so must we!

By James Okoth

As the nation mourned Raila Odinga, emotions were raw, loyalties were fluid, and symbolism mattered more than statements. In that moment, the Odinga family projected reconciliation. They called for restraint, peace, and unity even as tempers flared.

But among ODM loyalists, particularly those perceived to be Raila’s political heirs, the tone was the exact opposite.

Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga, alongside several vocal ODM legislators, came out swinging, issuing warnings, drawing political lines and even barring leaders like Rigathi Gachagua and his allies from setting foot in Bondo.

It was a move that played well to the gallery of party hardliners but jarred deeply against the family’s posture.

The Odinga household had just invited everyone, including perceived rivals, to Raila’s burial site. They wanted the final farewell to be a symbol of the statesman’s legacy, a bridge-builder to the very end.

Wanga and her allies missed that cue. Their combative tone drowned out the humility and grace that Raila’s family embodied in grief. What was meant to be a national moment of unity risked sliding into a political turf war.

Insiders close to the Odinga family have since hinted that the family’s silence was deliberate, a quiet rebuke to those who sought to politicize the mourning period.

In contrast, when Oburu Odinga and Ruth Odinga spoke while hosting a string of guest from the political divide, they offered warmth, not walls. They acknowledged differences, but emphasized Raila’s wish for peace — a gesture that resonated across the political divide.

In the end, the family’s message was clear: While politics built Raila’s career, grace will define his legacy and those who missed that message, however loyal, misread the room and the moment.

Ruth Odinga, Raila Odinga’s sister and Kisumu woman member of Parliament would later expose the misplaced emotions of Wanga and allies, telling a twisted story of the Odinga’s they almost forced on Kenyans.

“The Jaramogi family aside, the luo and Kikuyu nations have a long and winding history. Growing up, hatred between the Kikuyu and Luo communities was alien.” She said. “We must rise above divisive ethnic undertones to forge a more united nation.” She emphasized.

By Reporter

The immediate former Chief Executive Officer of  Consolidated Bank  of Kenya suffered a blow after the Employment and Labor relations Court, in Nairobi declined a conservatory orders two days before expiry of his contract.

The petitioner, Samwel Muthemba Muturi had moved to court challenge the decision of Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi refusal to renew his contract after the board of directors had approved the renewal.

Justice Nduma Nderi in his ruling observed that the applicant did not seek for order for stay to remain in his office as the CEO upon the expiry of his contract, which was only t wo days away to elapse.

This he noted would create a power vacuum in the bank and without taking into consideration of period the petition was likely to take.

The Judge instead noted that the petitioner only sought the conservatory order to stop the filling of the CEO position pending the hearing and determination of the petition.

Seeking a temporary conservatory order stopping the advertisement, recruitment or appointment of an acting CEO. Does not conserve anything but injunct a future recruitment process.

The petitioner  is due to elapsed on 11^th October 2025. Had sought for a new renewal of his term.

In his application,  the petitioner had sought renewal  of his contract  on 13 January  2025 which was six months  before  the lapse of his first 3 year  term of contract.

The petitioner argued the board of directors  on 21^st March wrote to Mbadi  and recommended  for the extension  of the contract  due to his performance.

The petitioner said following correspondences from Mbadi to the board, the chairman  wrote Muturi  on 12^th and 18^th September  informing him  of the expiry of his contract.

In his prayers, that a declaration  that the petitioner is eligible for renewal  of his  term for a further 3 years as the CEO of the bank

That  an order of Mandamus to compel  the Board  to renew and the CS  to confirm  the  reappointment  of the petitioner  as the CEO

 That  in the alternative, the petitioner be compensated for damages  equivalent to salary  for three years  totaling to Sh 78,348,800.

That the cost  of the petition  and interest  therein  and any other further  relief  that this honorable  court shall deem fit to grant.

By James Okoth

In the quiet homestead of Kang’o Ka Jaramogi, history turned its next page. Beneath the soft Bondo sun, family elders gathered in solemn reflection as they performed a rite steeped in Luo tradition, installing Raila Odinga Junior as the new head of the Odinga family.

It was not a political coronation, but a deeply symbolic act of continuity. The mantle that once rested upon Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, and later upon Raila Amolo Odinga, now rests upon Junior, the bearer of a name that has for generations been intertwined with Kenya’s conscience.

The Odinga name has never belonged to one man alone. It is a narrative stretching from the dawn of independence to the dawn of multiparty democracy, from detention cells to state banquets, from protest chants to presidential handshakes. It is a name that has carried both the burden and the blessing of history. In the stillness of Bondo, that legacy was renewed, not through slogans or applause, but through the timeless rhythm of tradition.

When Jaramogi defied the colonial order and later the founding government, he did so in the name of principle. When Raila rose to challenge injustice and fight for democracy, he too acted in the spirit of his father — to resist, to reform, to redeem. Together, the two men defined what it meant to live a life of service and sacrifice. Yet, as Raila’s long political chapter closed with his passing, the Odinga family found itself at a crossroads. The lineage that had influenced Kenya’s destiny for six decades needed a new custodian, one who could preserve its unity, purpose, and dignity.

Fidel Odinga, the first-born son and once presumed heir to the family mantle, departed far too soon. His death left a silence that time never fully healed. Now, a decade later, Raila Junior steps into a role that blends tradition with responsibility. His installation as family head is both an acknowledgment of lineage and a renewal of duty. It signals that the Odinga name, even in grief, remains anchored in order.

The ceremony carried layers of meaning beyond the homestead. To the Luo community, it reaffirmed the importance of continuity — that a great house must never stand without a leader. To Kenya, it was a quiet assurance that the ideals the Odingas have stood for, including justice, fairness and courage, will endure even as politics changes form.

Junior’s role is not to fill his father’s shoes, but to safeguard the ground on which those shoes once stood.

Those close to the family describe him as calm, reflective, and pragmatic. He speaks little but listens deeply. His interests lean toward entrepreneurship, governance, and social transformation rather than the traditional theatre of politics. Yet in his tone and temperament, many see glimpses of both Jaramogi’s intellect and Raila’s resilience. He may never replicate their paths, but he embodies their principles — a quiet defiance, a steady moral compass and a belief in the collective good.

Unlike his father, Junior is not stepping onto the rally stage or into the political storm. His first responsibility lies at home, holding together a large and influential family, ensuring unity and maintaining the honor associated with the Odinga name. But the symbolism of his new role stretches far beyond family walls. In a nation where political families often fracture after the fall of their patriarchs, Junior’s emergence is a sign of stability. It suggests that while the political era of Raila may have ended, the Odinga story continues not through political offices, but through stewardship, reflection and tradition.

The installation also marks a generational shift in how legacy is understood. Kenya’s political landscape is changing rapidly and so are the expectations of leadership. Where once leadership meant fiery rallies and defiant speeches, today it leans toward dialogue, empathy and innovation. Junior represents this transition. He carries the Odinga torch not as a weapon, but as a lamp.

For a family long defined by resistance, this moment feels like an exhale after decades of battle. Raila Odinga’s life was a long road of unfinished dreams — devolution still imperfect, justice still elusive, equality still deferred. Junior inherits not the triumphs, but the unfinished work, reframed through a generational lens.

His task is to preserve the essence of what his father and grandfather stood for, while allowing the family and perhaps the nation, to heal from the exhaustion of constant political combat.

As dusk fell over Bondo that evening, there was a sense of peace in the air — a feeling that the storm had passed, and that the Odinga story had entered its gentlest chapter yet. The revolution that began with Jaramogi and roared through Raila may now find its calm in Junior, a leader not of rallies but of remembrance, not of ambition but of balance.

For Kenya, his installation is both a farewell and a beginning…a reminder that even the fiercest political fires eventually give way to light and in that light, Raila Odinga Junior now stands, the heir to a house of history, the custodian of a name that still whispers to the soul of a nation.

By James Okoth

It has been days since the red soils of Bondo swallowed the body of Raila Amolo Odinga, yet the road to Kang’o ka Jaramogi has not gone quiet. The convoys still come, the footsteps still fall, and the songs still rise softly from pilgrims of every shade and persuasion.

Some come in silence, some in ceremony.
Some come to mourn. Others come to understand. But all leave with one truth heavy on their hearts; that even in death, Raila Odinga continues to receive visitors.

When Raila was alive, his politics revolved around the art of visiting and being visited. He was, at once, both guest and host to the nation’s conscience.

From Kibera’s muddy paths to State House’s polished floors, Raila’s political life was a journey of presence, of showing up, shaking hands and facing adversaries eye to eye.
He believed in the physicality of politics: that leadership must be seen, not merely heard.