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Alistair Gould

The people have spoken

Widespread protests against the Finance Bill reached a new peak across Kenya as the government looked for concessions too little too late. Some tax exemptions were rejected and now, much hangs in the balance for a government that has boxed itself into an unenviable position. Meanwhile Tanzania got a double

To split the Bill unevenly, education pays most

Kenyans took to the streets (real & virtual) in a big way this week as the Finance Bill 2024 remained squarely in focus. Education was the biggest casualty of proposed amendments to the budget, JSS interns had their hopes raised then dropped and the cleanse against the scourge of fake

Beg, borrow, budget, all at once

Last week, East Africa's finance ministers crooned in unison (almost) as they read out the regions budget statements - A.I. can summarize them all for you. The government will be selling some shares soon - you will learn a big word before then. Meanwhile, BlackRock are gone,

Education on a budget

When money is tight peace doesn't seem to last long. At least that's the case in Kenya currently. As the sector with the biggest allocation of public funds in the annual budget, one wouldn't be faulted for expecting less trouble there during these tough

Costly mistakes and a big spending plan...for whom?

One problem solved, others opened. The end of a strike was little reprieve as focus remained on higher education. As is recently apparent, there’s a need for a lot of funding, and future plans seem blind to the growing pain from current unresolved challenges. But despite this, there are

Big numbers, big words, small change

Guess who's back? No? It's the CBK governor and he's bagged an award in less than a year in office — refer to a shilling currency chart. Meanwhile, the jabber surrounding Kenya's currently least popular document reached a crescendo as public participation on

Students teach themselves as money remains the main problem

Mixed messaging seems to be the theme for the last week of May. JSS interns were on strike despite more promises from the government while university funding (and the lack of it) caused a stir among higher education stakeholders. The world also observed Menstrual Hygiene Day with administrative changes proposed

Explained by AI (and I): Block trades

Definition A block trade is a large transaction, typically involving a substantial number of securities, executed outside of the open market to avoid impacting the security’s price significantly. These trades are usually conducted by institutional investors, such as hedge funds, mutual funds, or pension funds, which need to buy

Accountants share their two cents (on a budget)

The Finance Bill 2024 remained a hot topic in the week as consumers and business owners continued to voice dissatisfaction with new tax measures introduced in support of the government's austerity. What happened Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya (ICPAK) made a Submission on the Finance Bill

Explained by AI (and I): GDP growth

You will never regret having a view into the GDPs of economies you're invested in. Understanding the performance of different sectors and their contributions to the economy is crucial in making decisions around your investment holdings. Definition Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth refers to the increase in the