Digital Democracy: Revolutionizing Governance Through Social Media In Kenya
Africa
Technology
Social media allows people to communicate, interact, share, and exchange ideas virtually by using applications and websites. Some of the most common social media sites are Facebook, WhatsApp, X, Instagram, Threads and WeChat. Social media has long been used as a place of convenient communication creating new relationships of its kind. Some have evolved into business and family relationships. However, over the last two months, there has been a shift in the role of social media as evidenced in Kenya's political affairs. Kenya has experienced protests all over the country in the last month with Nairobi being the centre of all. For the first time in history, parliament was infiltrated by Kenyans after a massive turnout of youths in the Central Business District, Nairobi. This raised questions in the Kenyan government security agencies on how the Generation Z Youth-led protests managed to pull out of such organized protests. With a banner of tribeless, partyless, and leaderless, it has been difficult for the Kenyan government to determine the leaders of the movement to contain the anger among the youths, who feel neglected by the government and the political class. It's however key to note that social media played a big role in staging peaceful protests in Kenya. The use of social media, more so in X Spaces and TikTok has further devolved into calling for better governance, accountability, and responsibility by the Kenyan youths. By questioning the government on its performance, the power seems to have moved to the people, as people are now aware of various policies and their constitutional rights. This is an eye-opener in governance in Africa and the global scene, that social media can be used to enhance governance accountability in the political space. This is also evidenced by how youths from Uganda, Nigeria, and Ghana have commenced questioning the government and seeking more accountability, and better service delivery from their elected leaders.
Read more5 MONTHS AGO
Microsoft's Innovation Surge: Disrupting Tech Norms And Shaping The Future
Europe
Technology
A major tech disruption arose which negatively hampered operations in the global arena. The tech failure was attributed to the outage of Microsoft Cloud. The systems affected operations in banks, supermarkets, and other major global institutions. Most notable are the major airlines which cancelled and delayed several flights for departure. Railway transport was also hampered in Britain as well as media outlets such as Sky News. Microsoft confirmed that the outage was due to a software update by CrowdStrike which is a cybersecurity company. This affected normalcy in running the Microsoft 365 apps. The US experienced downtimes of the 911 security emergency services. Delta Airlines was also among the many airlines that were disrupted by the outage. However, countries such as China and Russia remained unaffected due to the outage. The sanctions against Russia by the West and the US seemed to have worked for and not against Russia's Economic prowess. Russia focused on local firms to provide tech services and terminated its reliance on the West’s technology. The Russian government has incorporated more of Kaspersky Labs in the provision of cybersecurity to its operations. The case was the same for China’s Mainland where operations in cities such as Shanghai and Beijing were unaffected. The efforts by China to develop its systems internally without any external influence seem to have borne fruit as evidenced by the outage of the Microsoft cloud which hampered operations in the global system, yet operations remained in place in Mainland China. The outage implies the need for governments worldwide to develop safeguards and systems developed internally to avoid such disruptions reoccurring in the future. It also raises questions on how companies are prepared to handle cybersecurity threats. Imagine what a global cyber attack could do if such an outage could cause global disruption.
Read more6 MONTHS AGO
Biden's Exit: Shaking Up The 2024 Presidential Race
NorthAmerica
Politics
Joe Biden, the US President has dropped out of the US Presidential race for the 2024 US presidential elections. This was after pressure mounted on Donald Trump who served in one term tenure as president. The Whitehouse and most democrats had also pressured Joe Biden to step down from the Presidential race. Joe Biden stated his decision to drop out of the race citing that it's for the best interest of all Americans. However, major reasons have pressured Biden to drop out of the US elections. Joe Biden had been seen as clumsy in his past political outings as well as during the latest US Presidential debate. It had been argued that some of the decisions made by the president are questionable and a perception of such decisions being made behind the scenes by influential figures in the Whitehouse. Thus, this decision by Joe Biden to drop from the presidential race did not surprise many as it was expected of him to do the right thing and drop from the presidential race. Biden has put his weight on the vice president Kamala Harris. The underpinned question is, What are the implications of Joe Biden dropping out of the presidential race? It paves the way for Kamala Harris to be elected as the first woman US President in history. Donald Trump would have to change his political strategy as the entry of Kamala Harris opens new political dynamics such as support from fellow ladies and mixed races in the US. It could also raise the popularity of Donald Trump propelling him to the presidency, since Kamala Harris has been portrayed as a weak democrat who does not reflect political authority among the democrats and US citizens. As Joe Biden steps out of the Whitehouse in the next few months, several decisions could be altered such as Immigration policies and the US involvement in NATO in the war between Russia and Ukraine, the Israel-Gaza War, WHO- World Health Organization which Donald Trump has promised to make changes if he wins the US 2024 presidential elections. This puts the global arena in uncertainty, as whoever wins the US Presidential Election greatly influences the economic and political landscape of the global village.
Read more6 MONTHS AGO
Biden Tests Positive For Covid 19: Implications For The Presidency...
NorthAmerica
Politics
US President Joe Biden has tested positive for COVID-19 while campaigning in Nevada. He has looked clumsy in his last political outings.as well as during his presidential re-election campaign. Before this, the US Citizens were concerned that the president was seen as clumsy, and it was assumed that he was having underlying health issues. It has also been suggested by some people that some of the decisions President Joe Biden has made do not represent him but rather made by other influential individuals in the Whitehouse. The Whitehouse has received condemnation globally for supporting Israel and Ukraine in military aid while the US economy has declined. Thus, The President has been forced to self-isolate until full recovery upon which he can resume his re-election campaign in different states. What does this mean for Joe Biden as the US President? The US Citizens could pressure Joe Biden to drop his bid for a second term as the US President and instead lay support to another Democrat. If indeed that happens, people expect him to put his weight on Vice President Kamala Harris, which could provide an avenue for Kamala Harris to be elected as the first US President who is a lady. It could also put the US allies in a complicated balance as they try to continue to push for policies in the global system. While the US President continues being in isolation and recovery mode, Donald Trump could accelerate his campaign process having chosen a younger running mate, J.D Vance, the current Senator of Ohio. This could propel Donald Trump to further chances of being elected as the US President, as he gains sections of states in the US that support Democrats. This occurs after having survived an assassination attempt at a rally in Butle, Pennsylvania. Some of the policies that Donald Trump has promised to withdraw if he wins the president is ending the war between Ukraine and Russia, and reshaping the US Immigration policies.
Read more6 MONTHS AGO
The End Of An Era: How The Demise Of Petrodollars...
Asia
Business
The petrodollar ceased operations after the Saudi Arabian signed a pact with the United States of America on June 8, 1974. It marks 50 years of reign of the US Dollar being used as the transactional currency for crude oil exports. At the time, when the prices of oil rise, the currencies of the oil-producing nations strengthen against other currencies. The Middle East countries form the largest block of oil-producing countries. The petrodollar system has been of great benefit to ensure that the US dollar continues to have great value and is the global primary reserve. A secret was however revealed by Bloomberg (2016) that the US would acquire oil from Saudi Arabia and in return provide Saudi Arabia with military aid. Saudi Arabia would then access investment in the US Treasury bills and bonds. The end of the petrodollar agreement between Saudi Arabia and the US as of 9th June 2024 raises various implications. The Saudi Arabian government is now free to use other types of currencies such as the Chinese Yuan and Russian Ruble, which could alter the energy sector as well as influence the growing economies. This means that the US dominance and power could decline in global trade and politics as the use of the US dollar in the trading of oil in the Middle East declines. The weakening of the dollar could lead to higher inflation and interest rates in the US, making investors trade metals such as gold, silver, palladium, and platinum. However, it will take some time before the full effects are experienced in the global arena. Governments must thus be prepared to deal with the uncertainties that may occur in the trade of oil and currencies due to global shifts.
Read more6 MONTHS AGO
Taxing Troubles: The Strain Of Kenya's Growing Fiscal Burden
Africa
Business
One of the fiscal measures of a country in raising funds for economic development is by adopting taxation policies. The government can either decide to increase taxes on commodities and services to provide more revenue for development. Nevertheless, the government can also reduce taxation and broaden it to a wider tax base. Concerning this, the Kenyan government had proposed taxation hikes in almost all sectors, which prompted Generation Z youths to voice ‘Occupy Everywhere, Reject Finance Bill 2024’. The agitation was driven in all social media platforms mostly X Spaces and TikTok by Gen Z youths, as they called out the government for being inhumane in tax proposals of Finance Bill 2024. Some of the proposals in the Finance Bill were; a yearly motor vehicle taxation, a Tax Hike on pads, taxation on freehold land, a hike on digital services, individuals who have attained 25 years with no jobs and being housed to pay a tax of Ksh 300; and introduction of taxation on livestock. These tax proposals have resulted in anger among Kenyan Youths, leading to protests for 3 weeks. It is through these protests that for the first time the Kenyan Government dropped the punitive tax proposals. However, in the process of calling out the government on punitive tax measures, youths have lost lives and most of them have been injured. If indeed the government cares, Kenyan people are waiting to see more being done as they seek more radical changes in the government, which has lost touch with its citizens. This is a lesson to all Kenyan Leaders and those in office, that people watch, and when silence and anger tip to the brim, the outbursts can spread to ugly scenes. The youths should also not relent in the quest for accountability and better services from the government. They should also engage in political activities as they form the largest proportion that makes up the Kenyan population.
Read more6 MONTHS AGO