Kenyan roses are prized for their beauty. The flower industry employs thousands of people there. But just one insect can upend all that. A false codling moth hovers near Kenyan roses. (Illustration by News Decoder) This article was produced exclusively for News...
Artisanal gold miners in Kenya work to extract the shiny metal even though doing so poses serious health risks. An artisanal miner in Migori County pans for gold 17 July 2019. (Credit: Open Institute [CC BY-SA 2.0 Deed]) This article was produced exclusively for News...
The world’s most consumed natural resource after water fuels global construction. But harvesting it strips riverbanks and lakeshores, destroying ecosystems. Roadside advertisement in Kenya’s Rift Valley, 2 April 2025. (Photo: Frank Burkybile) This article was...
Strong governments in Kenya and Uganda are grappling with a new problem: angry, organized young people demanding change. A Kenyan activist scuffles with plain clothes police officers during a protest against the finance bill in Nairobi, Kenya 6 June 2023. (AP...
Governments in Kenya and Uganda are grappling with a new problem: angry, organized young people demanding change. Correspondent Enock Wanderema reports on social media as the vessel for East African youth to mobilise and demand change. His article deal with the themes of politics, youth activism, social issues and demographics.
Exercise: Take the case of Uganda and explore it further. Look into Uganda’s demographics, its political leadership, job opportunities and its economy. Compile a short report on why Uganda youth are now mobilizing and what issues are top of the agenda. Are recent protests bringing about change? How? Students can then choose a country in the Global South that is experiencing social change. Compare the cases.
If a government agency stores the DNA and fingerprints of its residents can it serve them more efficiently or control them more effectively? (Image: News Decoder) A year after Kenya’s historic digital identity program was declared illegal, the Kenyan government is...
As more countries around the world adopt digital identification systems, concerns about the legality of such programs have come to the fore. This month, University of Toronto global journalism fellow Shefali Malhotra walks us through arguments for and against the implementation of digital IDs in Kenya.
Exercise: As students are reading the article, have them create a list of arguments for and against the implementation of digital IDs. Then, have students write a paragraph on whether or not they support adopting digital IDs in your country. The paragraph should include arguments around at least two of the following subtopics: data protection (legal), privacy (personal & commercial), internet penetration/the digital divide, potential discrimination against vulnerable groups. To extend the activity, students can engage in a structured debate with classmates after writing their paragraphs.