MAWAZO

Volume 13, No. 1 & 2

Published December 31, 2019

Articles

  1. Busingye Kabumba (Author)

    The Kenyan judiciary, the doctrine of 'substantiality' and the resolution of presidential election disputes

    This article assesses the continuities and discontinuities that have attended electoral law reform in Kenya since the enactment of  the 2010 Constitution. Using the presidential elections of  2013 and 2017 as main frames of  reference, the paper examines the extent to which the vision of  electoral justice established under Kenya’s transformative Constitution has been realized in law and in practice. Ultimately, it suggests that beyond the legal contestations which periodically emerge during electoral cycles, lie important socio-political
    struggles which have their roots in the history and structure of  the post-colonial Kenyan State. It is this broader, and more fundamental, political question which must be addressed if  true electoral justice is to be achieved in Kenya.

  2. Chris C. Opesen, Fred H. Bateganya, Eria O. Olowo, Stella Neema (Author)

    "I would be married now if I had cut it...": the lived experiences of women with no genital modifications among the Pokot on the Uganda-Kenya border

    This article explores the lived experiences of  women who have not undergone female genital modifications (traditionally known as “Mutat) as a symbol of marriage worthiness among the Pokot of  the North-eastern part of  the Uganda Kenya border. Using inductive and content analysis, the article coalesces its synthesis around the dilemma of  mama Chemket, a woman in her twenties who lamented her earlier decision not to undergo female genital modifications (FGM) in one of  the ethnographic group discussions (EGDs). This synthesis is reinforced by corroboratory evidence from another EGD with FGM surgeons, seven ethnographic interviews (Ethno-Ints) and hermeneutics conducted at the same border. Evidence explored associates the lived experiences of  women that have not undergone “mutat” in Pokot with rare marriage prospects, great pain from lack of  trust on their fidelity by spouses and ridicule and ostracism they
    are subjected to by their co-wives, if  married. The article locates the source of  these experiences on the Pokot notion of  “mutat” as a symbol of  marriage worthiness and it’s supporting beliefs that leave non-“mutat” women with no or rare prospects for marriage. 

  3. Spes Nibafasha (Author)

    Radio drama ninde for development in Burundi

    This article examines how Kirundi radio drama Ninde ‘visualizes’ sensitive everyday life issues for an invisible audience through the medium of  dramatic sound to prompt development. Ninde is a new style of  communication borne from the interaction between tradition and modernity to communicate artistically to the Burundian community in order to lead abandonment of beliefs and practices that are considered old-fashioned, dangerous or harmful. The question this article attempts to answer is “how is Ninde framed as a radio play form?” The argument that the article advances is that radio Ninde is framed as a theatre of  the mind whose main purpose is to correct people by means of  satire especially its inflection – ridicule. The empirical material on which the argument is based is a sample of  Ninde plays from Burundi. The analysis employs Erving Goffman’s concept of  framing whose major premise
    is that particular frames instil a specific worldview in peoples’ minds through priming and making a piece of  information more noticeable, meaningful, or memorable to audiences. The article concludes that Ninde relies on dialogue mostly: the comedic, exaggeration, metaphor and a formulaic approach, often one that simply contrasts characters of  good moral standing against those of dubious repute to influence the imagination of  its imagined audiences. It is an edutainment genre (entertainment content designed to educate) through which the bitter pill of  verbal correction of  human follies and foibles is sugared with amusement to trigger social change. To use Ninde in communication for sustainable development objectives can pass well because narratives are
    something into which people realise themselves. As a recommendation, radio drama projects need to be financially supported very much like other local development initiatives.

  4. Colman T. Msoka (Author)

    The politics of reporting reportable diseases: a methodological review of the state-researcher clash

    In December 2016 the media in Tanzania was preoccupied with questions on the presence or not of  the Zika virus in Tanzania. The debate was sparked by a National Institute of  Medical Research (NIMR) report which pointed out that traces of  the Zika virus had been identified in Tanzania. Within a short time, the government refuted the report and asked NIMR to retract the findings, arguing that the reporting process did not follow established procedures. Two central questions demand a close review: first, why did the government demand that the report be retracted? Second, what are the procedure that should have been followed? In this methodological review of  the reporting of  reportable diseases, an attempt will be made to examine the raison d’etre for the tag of  war between the two sides and highlight the procedures that the announce of  such findings should have followed. The review concludes with a methodological note to researchers and reporting of  findings in health-related studies.

  5. Wilfred Lajul (Author)

    Philosophical foundations of democracy: a challenge for Africa

    Democracy is people’s power of  self-governance. Where there is selfgovernance, the people themselves have the power to determine the kind of politicians and political institutions they desire to adopt. The question is whether this or not is the case in Africa; and if  not, why? This article hypothesizes that to get the right answers to this question and to address the many challenges facing Africa’s political landscape, Africans need a better understanding of  the concept of  democracy and its origins. This article discusses the foundation of democracy in Greece, which is rooted in the principle of  “self-rule”, while in Western philosophy, it is the principle of  “lawful political competition”. Political competition is meant to bring about checks and balances, control unlimited political egoism, and create political stability. The foundations of  democracy in traditional African societies were the principles of  cooperation, individual merit, and consensus. Moral integrity and acting within moral principles were central to democratic practice. Since modern Africa has inherited its modern democratic principles and practice from the West, without taking into due considerations their pristine philosophical political principles, Africa faces several challenges in the areas of  constitutionalism, ethics, merit of  political parties, and political leadership.