Tunisia faces increasing concerns over a rollback of freedoms under President Kais Saied [Getty]

By JULIUS MBALUTO

Women from diverse communities gathered at West Herts College to commemorate this year’s International Women’s Day. They spoke about great things they do but their focus was on mental well-ness. The event was hosted by Spiced in Watford Cooking Experience founded by Eva Mbiru. It has been supported by Watford Football Club, Chamber of Commerce, Rennie Grove Peace Hospice Care and Rotary Club.

The event was attended by Watford MP Matt Turmaine, PC Dani Howlett-Bolton -Community Engagement Officer, CLLR Rabi Martins, Guest Speaker Neelam Chalwa and others. Singer LadyPruu ensured all were entertained. The aim of Spiced in Watford cooking series is to create a conducive environment where anyone going through mental stress at home or workplace can meet other people going through the same to chat and socialize while cooking.Experts have argued that cooking activity can nourish the body, the mind and soul. Others see it as an experimental therapy.

Speaking during the meeting, MP for Watford Matt Turmaine said:

“We should remember what we think about International Women’s Day not just as one day of the year event but every day. Women have such a great hard time across the world, different regimes do not respect and treat women in the way that they should- in this country we struggle with what we call glass ceiling and equal pay even though its more than 50 years since equal pay was introduced by Barbara Castle and still, we don’t have equal pay. In relation to mental health, it’s a big health crisis and we really need to recognize that. There is a lot of health inequalities we experience that we have in the society. “

The MP said he is doing something to address that. The Guest Speaker Neelam Chalwa spoke on the importance of creating more awareness on Mental Health. She said,

“Tell people what mental health is. Mental health is not a negative word, it needs pampering. It needs looking after. “

She said although we cannot change the world, we should try to change the life even of one person. She urged all attending to prioritise looking after themselves to ensure their mental well-ness.

During the panel talk, different experts and leaders also in different fields shared about what they do and how they could be contacted in the future engagement. The key message to all women attending was to look after themselves and others for a better society.

In a dramatic twist of fate, Prof Edward Waswa Kisiang’ani has been unceremoniously dropped as Principal Secretary for Broadcasting and Telecommunications and reassigned as an adviser to President William Ruto.

This follows his controversial directive barring government advertisements in private media, particularly the Standard Media Group, for being “anti-government.” While his reassignment may seem like a routine government reshuffle, it is, in reality, a disgraceful downfall of a man who once used the same media he sought to destroy, to build his own relevance.

Kisiang’ani’s story is a textbook example of political hypocrisy and should serve as a warning to those who believe they can weaponize state power against independent journalism.

Before his appointment as PS, Kisiang’ani was a frequent guest on TV political panels, where he gained prominence as an outspoken critic of the Uhuru Kenyatta administration. He leveraged media platforms such as Citizen TV, KTN, and NTV to push his political views and build his brand as an academic and political analyst. 

During the heated 2022 elections, he was a vocal defender of William Ruto’s presidential campaign, using the same media he later sought to undermine to advance his personal and political interests. Kisiang’ani made a name by calling out what he claimed were media biases against Ruto.

Ironically, once in government, he did exactly what he had accused the previous administration of — turning the media into an enemy when it refused to align with state propaganda.

Once he secured a powerful government position, Kisiang’ani wasted no time in trying to silence the very platforms that gave him a voice. His directive that all government advertising be channeled exclusively through the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) was not only a financial attack on independent media but a blatant attempt to control the national narrative. 

His war against independent media quickly became a public relations nightmare for the Ruto administration. His move sparked immediate backlash from media stakeholders, legal experts, and civil society, leading to lawsuits and increased scrutiny of the government’s commitment to press freedom. 

The Law Society of Kenya took legal action, arguing that Kisiang’ani’s directive was unconstitutional and violated the principles of a free press. The Kenya Media Sector Working Group (KMSWG), a coalition of over 20 media associations, condemned the move as an attempt to financially cripple independent media houses that dared to hold the government accountable.

Soon, it became evident that Kisiang’ani had become a liability to the Kenya Kwanza administration. His dismissal as PS was a desperate attempt by the government to distance itself from the controversy he created. However, rather than holding him accountable, Ruto simply reassigned him as an adviser — an indication that his loyalty was still valued. 

Kisiang’ani’s downfall should be a clear warning to all public officials who believe they can use their positions to attack independent journalism.

The government may protect them for a while, but when the pressure becomes too much, they are quickly discarded. The media is not an enemy of the state — it is the Fourth Estate, an essential pillar of democracy that holds those in power accountable. Those who seek to silence it are bound to fail. His story is also a reminder that political loyalty does not guarantee protection. Today’s enforcer can easily become tomorrow’s scapegoat. 

While Kisiang’ani’s removal as PS is significant, it does not necessarily mean the government is abandoning its anti-media tactics. His directive to shift all government advertisements to KBC has not been officially rescinded, meaning private media houses continue to suffer financial strain.

If the government is serious about upholding press freedom, it must rescind Kisiang’ani’s directive and ensure government advertising is allocated fairly across all media houses; stop intimidation of journalists, who expose corruption and government failures and respect the role of the media as an independent institution that serves the public, not the ruling elite. By Jim Bonnie, The Standard

By JULIUS MBALUTO 

A new initiative known as Startup 360 Connect has just been announced. Its purpose is to fast track East African startups into the UK's investor and talents networks, offering access to Seed and source funding, international partnerships and global visibility.

This programme is a collaboration between the UK Government(via the UK-Kenya Tech Hub), Qhala and Jasiri Network. The programme will run from March to June 2025.  It's objective is to connect high-growth and high integrity startups in Fintech, Agritech, Climatech, Healthtech and other in demand sectors.

Nancy Masila of Jasiri Network and Enos Masinde Weswa of UK-Kenya Tech Hub in Nairobi are the programme Managers and Anne Salim of Qhala is the project Manager. During an interview with this newspaper, Anne said that Qhala was a digital acceleration lab and it connected low key players in the industry to big players. Currently, the focus is to connect startups  to access investors and other resources in the UK with a view to gain global visibility.

Enos Masinde Waswe - Country Director (UK-Kenya Tech Hub) 

Nancy Masila - Jasiri Network

Anne Salim - Product Manager - Qhala