Published by The Daily Telegraph (16th July, 2015) Among current topics of debate in Kenya is whether the country should push through a proposed ban on imports of […]
Africa / Arts / Books / Somalia / South Africa
One refugee’s tale of hope from misery
Published by The Observer (4th January, 2014) A Man of Good Hope by Jonny Steinberg (Jonathan Cape) Asad Abdullahi was eight years old when he awoke one day […]
Africa / Aid / Kenya
The folly of the 0.7% foreign-aid solution
Published by the Wall Street Journal (10th July, 2014) Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki won global applause when he introduced free primary-school education over a decade ago. Who could […]
Drugs / Policy
Another stupid salvo in Britain’s idiotic war on drugs
Published by The Guardian (26th June, 2014) Khat has been legally imported into this country for 60 years, a mild natural stimulant chewed by a tiny slice of […]
Africa / Congo
Virunga is saved but Africa’s wildlife is being encircled sliver by sliver
Published by The Guardian (13th June, 2014) It seems incredible anyone could contemplate drilling for oil in Virunga. Not only is this sprawling national park the oldest in […]
Aid / Technology
Time for BBC to ditch the red noses
Published in the Daily Mail (December 9th, 2013) From the moment Comic Relief was launched in a Sudanese refugee camp on Christmas Day 28 years ago, the country’s […]
Africa / Kenya
A rare triumph for human rights over realpolitik
Published in The Independent (November 16th, 2013) So the International Criminal Court can fight on in its struggle to bring tyrants to justice. The United Nations has seen off […]
North Korea / World
North Korea is treated like a joke – but the realities are deadly serious
Published in The Guardian (October 29th, 2013) Kim Song-ju sought to escape the living hell of North Korea, but after crossing a freezing river into China was returned, […]
Africa / Nigeria
A conflict crying out for more attention – and less violence
Published in The Independent (October 1st, 2013) The murder of Saturday lunchtime shoppers in a Nairobi shopping centre grabbed global headlines. This was unsurprising: it was a savage […]
Africa / Kenya / Somalia / Somaliland
Myths, murder and militancy
Published in The Independent (September 24th, 2013) For two years, Kenyans have been bracing themselves for the barbarism we have just witnessed in Nairobi. Ever since their army […]
Aid
Hideous hypocrisy of the charity fat cats
Published in The Daily Mail (August 7th, 2013) Our overseas aid charities work hard to persuade people to hand over their cash. Whether paying for commercials on television, […]