I cant Marry a campus girl

 

I Can't Marry A Campus Girl

By Hosea Namachanja

I curse my primary school teacher who told me to ring in my pubescent urges on women. My high school teachers and parents conditioned me to believe that I will get better ladies as my academic qualifications improved .  I was told the beautiful ones are not yet born and like a fool, I believed them. I always though my charm and allure with ladies will get better over time . They keep slipping through my fingers. My heart aches for carol, my first love who left me for ma man with a laptop and airforce.

I have had my fair share of bad luck in the love arena. I have suffered in the hands of unrequted love. I am a victim of loving a girl who chose a “mubaba” above our “love”. I was in second year when I attended my first class of character development. It is amazing how ladies move fast. I mean , I did not expect her to be okay with an emoji for a valentine gift when there was someone willing to give her the world. It was at the expense of my poor bleeding heart and my naivety as a campus boy finding himself.

I am set to graduate this year. Dear clansmen, hold your tongues that you may not wound my soul any deeper .I will only come bearing one degree ,My bachelors. I fell in love , I really tried. It went unrequited and the objects of my passion had other pursuits at the time.  I ask that I be received by my people with love . I sought it in the bosom of a woman and all I got is pain. I am yet to meet someone of my intellectual capacity .  I am tired of their Kiswahili Lies and nonsense .

My clasnsmen, Carol began a spiral of lies in my life. Her whereabouts over the weekend did not make sense . I heard a rumour that she goes somewhere in crocs and a huge T shirt. I picture her doing “wifely” duties to another . All dreams of her being mine come crashing down like a mirage faced in the dessert.

As the song lyrics go “I do not have a soulmate ,or maybe I do not have a soul”. I am not walking out of this university with anyone in tow to call a wife. I gave too much to the first one . My dear carol

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Kenyan Tax Burden

                                       The Kenyan Tax Burden

By Maria Njoroge

In the words of Winston Churchill, "for a nation to try and tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself by the handle. "  In its tax collection, I am afraid that the government has legalized theft. Life should not be this expensive. As I  was reporting to school this year, I walked into a convenience store to buy water and a soft drink. I was amazed at how expensive it was. I recently learned that this taxation is called exercise duty and is paid on imported or locally manufactured goods. Turning 18 opened a whole new world, and everything began a relationship with the Kenya Revenue Authority. Tell me, dear reader, do you even have the slightest idea about the Dynamics of this relationship?.

In Kenya, the taxes can be direct or indirect statutory taxes. Indirect statutory taxes apply to everything we purchase. They apply at our ports as customs duty, exercise duty, on all levies, and as value-added tax(VAT). Direct statutory taxes apply regarding Pay as You Earn, director fees, commissions, weekly wages, and monthly and annual salaries. The taxes are divided further, and the impact is felt throughout. The services we consume, the goods we buy, and everything we import and export are taxed.

I remember how lack of capital seemed like a point in passing in business class. However, research has taught me that capital is more than a start-up. Corporation tax is levied on all corporations. They remit up to 30% to the Kenya Revenue Authority. Non-residents in Kenya pay up to 37.5% in taxes annually. It is very expensive to Pay for licenses per annum as well as health fees and compliances with National Environmental Management Authority ( NEMA). The total calculations to be remitted for a business to be refrigerated before they even get everything started are crippling. The price of rent, goodwill, and costs before the break-even period is not encouraging for any start-up.

 The withholding task is paid on interests, dividends, pensions, performance fees, royalties, and commissions. The rates are flexible according to individuals and corporations. I do not understand why anyone would tax a pension someone has been remitting for all their working days. Everyone on a salary pays (PAYE). Over the covid 19 period, the government made an effort to offer tax relief to everyone earning less than 24,000. It was an attempt to ensure low-income earners could still afford to feed their families.

The future of tax relief is uncertain, and its sustainability is questionable. There is a bid in parliament to monitor mobile money transactions. The high court has, however, put a stop to this move. Residents of Kenya who make income here are taxed at different rates than non-residents. Those who are not citizens of a country only pay tax for income and wealth accrued for the period they have been in the country.

Our mobile data and airtime are expensive. There is a 10% levy of exercise duty on importation and 50 shillings for every ready-to-use sim card imported into the country. Data is currently the biggest source of exercise duty. It beats beer, wine, bottled water, cigarettes, and financial transactions. Considering that the county charges a 16% value-added tax, I pity the pockets of small-income earners.

The relationship between Kenya Revenue Authority and the taxpayer is far from clear or friendly. Many citizens must understand how taxation happens and what it means to their income and investments. The lessons on how and when to file tax returns still need to be clarified. It takes 1000 emails for someone to remember to file their returns on time before June. However, one explanation at a time, and we will make headway.

Maghoha : A final glance

                                   Magoha : A final glance 

By Moses Kibwana 

George Omore Magoha was a man liked and disliked in equal measure for his tough stand in matters related to his work. We all remember him for his no-nonsense attitude and how he stamped foot in the education sector. Most reforms in Education, especially the Competency Based Curriculum (CBC), are attributed to him. His desire to rank students based on their abilities was the last dance he did before he finally bowed out on Tuesday evening, the 24^th of January. He was an astute professor of Medicine, and his heart gave out to a cardiac arrest. But who was this man before all cameras turned attention to him?

Professor Magoha was born in the year 1952 in Gem. He attended primary school in Yala and Nairobi before proceeding to the Starehe Boys Center and Strathmore College for his high school education. Magoha was a bright student, evident in his thirst for Education and his precision in climbing the academic ladder.

Magoha secured a scholarship to pursue Medicine at the University of Lagos in Nigeria. He also trained in Ghana, Ireland and the United Kingdom, rising through the ranks to become a fully-fledged urological and transplant surgeon. He truly was a man who pursued life to the highest pinnacle of success. He was a scholar, even by the standards of this time.

In 1988, he returned to the country after furthering his studies. He joined the University of Nairobi as a lecturer in urological surgery before becoming a professor 12 years later, in 2000. During his tenure at the university, he served in different positions, including the chairman of the academic department of surgery, Dean of the School of Medicine and Principal of the College of Health Sciences.

 In 2005, Professor Magoha was appointed as the University of Nairobi Vice-Chancellor due to his ambition, quick-thinking nature and practical leadership skills. During his leadership tenure at the university, he accomplished what his predecessors had failed to accomplish, including sanity and accountability of the finance department, as well as quality teaching and discipline of students.

He retired from the position in 2014, but due to his good record, he was appointed Chairman of the Kenya National Examinations Council in 2016, bringing a raft of changes. At KNEC, he demystified what he termed as Kenyans' Obsession with the A grade; as such, students were unable to eventually pursue courses such as Medicine and Engineering in the University comfortably.

In the year 2019, he was appointed by President Uhuru Kenyatta as the Cabinet Secretary in charge of Education, where he championed the sanity of the examination process, as well as the 100% transition policy. At a time when the education reforms in the country faced a total shakedown, this man stood his ground amid the conflict. He served in this position until October 2022, when the new Cabinet Secretary, Ezekiel Machogu, took over after the August general election.

Magoha has been mourned by the political class and ordinary Kenyans as an astute statesman who went to extraordinary lengths to ensure that the job was done by his death. We learn the brevity of life and how it is fleeting to man. He is survived by his wife, Dr. Barbara Magoha, and his son Dr. Michael Magoha.

 

One last round

 

One Last Round

By Ajuma Millicent

The most challenging lap is always the last one. But every athlete would tell you that this is the time to give everything you've got and finish with a sprint. Being in the last semester of university is exciting but just as frustrating. Getting into Moi University in August 2018, I didn't envision being in my last semester in 2023. I genuinely thought I would have graduated by now. However, I wouldn't change a thing about my experience at Moi University.

There are 3 things that I am grateful for; the strong educational foundation I get once I am done. The narrative that ‘education is just papers’ has dominated social media and our life. It is easy to say that if you don't understand the struggle in getting the said papers. Some of the things that university students have to do to get the papers are sleepless nights, research projects, multiple assignments, retakes, and searching for unpaid internships while trying to keep a healthy social life. It is no mean feat. As a graduate, it is crucial to have a sense of pride and accomplishment in graduating from university, no matter how much the world wants to downplay your achievement.

The second thing I am grateful for is the relationships that I have developed in school. Sixteen years of studying in the 8-4-4 education system, and I couldn't be more thankful for the people I have met along the way. Fellow students with whom we have navigated school life together, it is always nice knowing that you are not alone, and we have forged some amazing friendships in the process, which will hopefully be part of our network in the future.

I am also grateful for the resources that have been provided at school. Being in school has been like having a safe space to maneuver. I have always known that after primary school, it is secondary school, then university. Finishing a university education is weird because the next step is not guaranteed. Getting out of school feels like getting out of the safety net and being out in the cold. I am expected to find a job as soon as possible, move out of my parent's house and get a life. Let us not even get started on the black tax. The pressure to make something out of myself immediately from school is crippling.

Despite the pressure to get out of school, it feels good to great to get out into the world. Every day since I stepped into school for the first time in 2005 has prepared me for this moment. I am excited about the possibilities that await me after university, and I am confident that the world will be a friendly place for me. However, it is not done until it is done.