The Political Economist

  The FY 2024/25 Appropriation Bill reflects Kenya’s ongoing efforts to align fiscal policy with the regime’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda ( BETA ) and the Fourth Medium-Term Plan (MTP IV) of Vision 2030. The distribution of resources demonstrates a deliberate prioritization of education, healthcare, infrastructure, social welfare, and, importantly, devolution as the key ambitions of Kenya Vision 2030.                       Below is a sectoral breakdown of the allocations : 1. Education – Ksh 718.8 Billion   As the largest beneficiary of the budget, the education sector underscores the government’s recognition of human capital development as a driver of long-term growth. Funds will go toward: ·        Expansion of the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), hiring more teachers, and building more class rooms.  ·         Recruit...

Former President Donald Trump has made his first visit to the Middle East since the beginning of his second term—an important geopolitical move in an increasingly multipolar world. His itinerary, which included stops in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, marks a calculated return to a region whose strategic value remains undeniable. Trump’s objectives are ambitious: Promote peace in a region rife with tension—between Arab states and Iran, and more intensely, between Israel and Iran. 1. Deepen US ties with key allies like Saudi Arabia and the UAE. 2.Support the emergence of a new Syrian leadership, signaling a shift in US posture in the Levant. 3. Reassert US influence amid growing presence of China and Russia. Trump has been warmly received by regional powers. In both Saudi Arabia and the UAE, he was honored with state ceremonies and welcomed with investment agreements that signal economic as well as political alignment. These deals are not just symbolic; they reflect mutual interests in energy...

For Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) professionals overseeing construction or infrastructure projects, the essence of your role revolves around three pivotal dimensions: Time, Cost, and Technical Quality . However, before delving into metrics and progress reports, it’s crucial to establish your reference points: Your primary guides are the Project Contract and the Logical Framework (Logframe). These documents delineate scope, timelines, roles and responsibilities, performance indicators, and anticipated outcomes. They form the backbone of effective monitoring and provide the standard against which project performance is measured.   1. Time – Assessing Schedule Adherence Monitoring timelines goes beyond simply tracking calendar dates. It involves a nuanced understanding of project progress and pace. Key questions include: Is the project advancing according to the planned schedule? Are activities experiencing delays or progressing unusually fast? What facto...