Maeche applauded the 2010 constitution saying, with devolution put in place, marginalized communities and people who never enjoyed government resources. 

As Kenyans marked Katiba day om Wednesday reflecting on the 15 years since the promulgation of the 2010 constitution, Law Society of Kenya (LSK) south west branch secretary general Justus Maeche has called independent bodies to do their work to meet more gains as a country.

Speaking in Kisii, Maeche said the country has made more gains and said if the independent bodies such as IEBC, IPOA could have done their work diligently, the country could have made more gains.

Maeche applauded the 2010 constitution saying, with devolution put in place, marginalized communities and people who never enjoyed government resources can now access resources with the creation of 47 counties with elected governors and members of county assemblies.

Maeche noted, corruption as the biggest threat to the 2010 constitution from all arms of government executive, judiciary and legislature.

“Recently I saw the president in a forum saying members of parliament were paid to pass a certain law, looking at it keenly who was bribing these MPs? It trickles down and lies squarely in the office of the executive office” said Maeche.

He added, corruption is a big embedment to the realization of the 2010 constitution.

He also pointed out Political interference also as a big challenge to the constitution adding when regime changes those politicians allied  to the regime of the day get their cases dropped. By Rosemary Onchari, Capital News

Kenya has invited China to seize investment opportunities in the country’s special economic zones as a strategic entry point into Africa’s vast consumer market. On Friday, the Kenya Investment Authority (KenInvest) showcased a range of investment opportunities for Chinese businesses, stressing that Kenya offers a gateway to millions of African consumers.

Speaking at the official opening of Yiwu Selection Kenya — an exclusive women’s merchandise store at the Waterfront Mall in Karen — KenInvest’s General Manager, Legal Services, Olivia Rachier, said the East African region alone has a market size of 400 million people.

“Kenya remains one of Africa's most attractive destinations for investment,” Rachier said after officiating the launch of the new China Square affiliate store. She pitched Kenya as a stable democracy with a resilient economy, supported by a young and skilled workforce and a sophisticated financial system.

“Strategically located as the gateway to East Africa, Kenya offers direct access to a regional market of more than 400 million people and, through the African Continental Free Trade Area, to 1.4 billion customers across Africa,” she said. 

Rachier told the Chinese delegation accompanying the proprietors of China Square that Kenya has prioritized reforms to ease investment by streamlining business registration, strengthening investor protection, and providing incentives in its economic zones. 

“These measures ensure investors enjoy a predictable and favourable environment,” she said, adding that Chinese investors have immense opportunities not only in manufacturing but also in industrialization, exports, and innovation. 

She pointed to sectors such as infrastructure, energy, agriculture, agro-processing, fintech, tourism, and real estate as areas ripe for Chinese partnerships.

China Square Managing Director, Lei Cheng, described the launch of Yiwu Selection Kenya as an “exciting step” in the company’s global expansion mission. 

“This launch aims to bring more premium products to the Kenyan market while creating opportunities for local investors and employment for young people,” Cheng said. 

The store, he added, is stocked with cosmetics, skincare products, beachwear, kitchenware, and other lifestyle essentials targeting women aged 25 to 55.

“This is our first global select store, and we chose Kenya because it is a multicultural country with unique opportunities. Women represent the largest consumer market anywhere, and we want to provide them with affordable, quality products,” he said. 

Cheng noted that Chinese investors are looking forward to cooperating with Kenyan entrepreneurs through franchised store models and joint ventures. By Benard Orwongo, The Standard

IEA News

Universities are essential partners in Africa’s development, and the African Development Bank (www.AfDB.org) is committed to supporting them as centres of innovation that can attract not only Bank financing but also private investment and venture capital, Vice-President for Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery, Nnenna Nwabufo, said.

She was speaking at a symposium held Saturday 23 August, on the sidelines of the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9). The event was organised by the University of Tokyo and co-hosted by the University of Pretoria in partnership with the African Development Bank.

The symposium, titled From Campus to Community – University Collaboration between Africa and Japan for Real-World Change, explored how academic partnerships between Africa and Asia can generate new opportunities for co-creation and progress. It took place at the University of Tokyo on Saturday, 23 August.

“As Africa’s premier development finance institution, the African Development Bank sees universities as vital allies — not only as centres of learning, but also as drivers of innovation, engines of entrepreneurship, and catalysts for societal transformation,” Nwabufo said in her keynote address.

“The Bank believes that Africa’s future depends on strong and empowered universities that go beyond producing knowledge to becoming active agents of change,” she added.

Dr Teruo Fujii, President of the University of Tokyo, and Dr Francis Petersen, Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of Pretoria, also delivered keynote remarks. Dr Petersen’s message was read on his behalf by Prof Margaret Chigita-Mabugu, Dean of the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences at the University of Pretoria. Both speakers emphasised the importance of collaboration through diverse voices, innovative partnerships, and the social impact of Africa–Japan cooperation.

The audience also heard from two panels of experts who further unpacked the role of universities in fostering entrepreneurship and innovation through Africa-Asia collaboration.

Professor Frans Swanepoel, Head, Wits School of Governance, underlined the need for skills development on a continent with such a youthful population. “Education plays a determination in what you achieve as an entrepreneur,” he noted.

Hendrina Droba, Division Manager, Education, Human Capital and Employment at the African Development Bank gave examples of promoting university partnerships for youth and innovation as a core facet of the Bank’s new 10-year strategy. One of the  most successful is the Japan Africa Dream Scholarship.

Mary Yeboah Asantewaa from Ghana, a recipient of the scholarship, shared how the opportunity opened up career pathways which led to her current employment in healthcare and using innovative drone technology to fight malaria.

Putting university education and skills development top of the agenda

The African Development Bank is committed to leveraging the potential and power of universities through five areas: by integrating universities into investment programs – ensuring that higher education institutions are embedded within national development and industrialization projects supported by the Bank; financing skills and innovation ecosystems; fostering university-industry partnerships – so that universities become not only knowledge producers but also co-creators with private sector players; supporting entrepreneurship hubs and technology parks within universities; and facilitating knowledge-sharing platforms that enable universities to showcase their innovations and attract investment.

The Japan Africa Dream Scholarship (https://apo-opa.co/4oUsefa) is a capacity building program by the African Development Bank and the Government of Japan. The program, initiated in 2017, offers high-achieving African students a two-year scholarship opportunity to pursue post-graduate studies at master’s level in energy, agriculture, health, environmental sustainability and engineering. To date, 41 students have been awarded full scholarships, with 27 and 14 of them in Japanese and African partner universities respectively.

“I am glad to say that the University of Tokyo is a partner in this program,” Nwabufo said. “Partnership between African and Japanese universities is one sure way of strengthening and fostering long-term partnership and collaboration between Africa and Japan, as the African trainees of today will become the leaders of tomorrow.”