From Ruto, Ndii, Lupita to Camp Mulla; They will shake 2018

As we usher in a new year full of promise, the news cycle is also expected to break into a new leaf. However with 2018 expected to be full of events, some new and others a continuation of the issues that dodged 2017 new newsmakers will break into the scene while some recede to the background.

As expected the war between NASA and Jubilee which is on a Christmas break will get to the second season. For this reason, we analyse some of personalities we expect will control the news cycle in the coming year beyond President Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila Odinga.

William Ruto

With the 2017 election now behind, the 2022 race is on and the deputy president will dominate headlines for the next four years. With a squabble between him and NASA leader Raila Odinga yet to be settled, Ruto, a shrewd and an astitute politician is expected to take the war to the opposition strongholds. This is because he has never shied away from a good fight and he doesn’t look like he is about to. Then there is the ‘small problem’ of inheriting the vote rich Mount Kenya region from his boss Uhuru Kenyatta who is serving his last term.

As he has demonstrated in the last few years he is not only a hard worker who can be in as many as five venues in a day but he is a deal maker. He will however have to deal with his rivalry with Baringo Senator Gideon Moi first.

Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and a Royal Wedding

Apart from the inauguration of an American president and the World cup finals very few global events draw huge audiences like a British royal wedding. In 2011 some 60 million people tuned in to watch Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding. And these huge numbers are for viewers in the US and Britain alone.

Prince Harry and American TV actress Meghan Markle scheduled for May 19th is already shaping up to be the key pop-culture event of 2018. And there is one more: Another royal baby is due in April – the third child of Prince William and wife Kate Middleton.

Joshua Chepkuony

He has been honoured in the fields of entrepreneurship and social service for his contribution to the development of the internet and other communication infrastructure in Kenya. Part of his vast business empire includes Jamii Telecom which own Faiba and Kass FM International.

Towards the end of 2017 the man whose climb started with the "simu ya jamii" project that led to the provision of communication infrastructure launched Faiba 4G, the cheapest mobile internet rates ever seen in Kenya. But when it comes to pricing wars, it is the person who can sustain the war the longest that will win.  And in a market dominated by Safaricom it will be interesting to see whether Chepkuony will be the person whose innovation will beat the market leader where two companies have tried and failed.

Musalia Mudavadi

The ANC leader is already under pressure from a section of his lieutenants to ditch NASA and start charting his own political path with a view to capturing the presidency in 2022. As the only man in NASA who is seen to be acceptable across the political divide, he has a huge task ahead of him in the coming year.

First he to decide on whether he will slowly break away from the Raila faction without losing the Luo support base or stay on until probably a year before the elections in order to mount his challenge like he did in 2013.

Camp Mulla’s return

Before Sauti Soul ruled the African continent there was Camp Mulla, an urban music group comprised of artists barely out of their teens that was the first to take Kenya’s pop culture to the world.  Unfortunately as it all happens with most popular bands, individuality got the better of them. They broke up in 2014 and completely disappeared from the scene.

However their surprise performance at the Tekno Miles concert this year belting out their nostalgic bangers including Party Don’t Stop, Fresh All Day and Hold It Down among others a wildly phenomenal reception.  A reunion is already being talked about and they are back in studio working on a new album that will come out before the end of 2018.

David Ndii

No one has trended more than the economist and columnist turned NASA strategist on social media in 2017 than David Ndii. Hated and loved in equal measure from his hard hitting columns to tweets and radical statements on TV shows, Ndii has dominated conversations in Kenya non-stop. And it doesn’t seem like he is almost slowing down and it doesn’t seem like he is anywhere near to slowing down. As so long as NASA’s quest to wrestle power from Jubilee is alive then expect more of Ndii’s radical statements, columns and arrests by the police.

Timothy Otieno

Since graduating from Moi University and joining KTN as an intern in 2016 the young journalist has won the hearts of many Kenyans due to eloquence, story delivery and interesting television features. He is no doubt one of the most inspirational media personality of his generation.

The young journalist will no doubt cause people glued to their screens just to watch him update them on current affairs.

Donald Trump

The 45th president of the United States has spent his first year in office rewriting the rules of the presidency.  By measures of influence and impact through legislations passed, policies enacted and his visions which have been projected to the world Trump has used his first year in office to stamp authority as the most influential person in the world.

Some of his policies like reduction of foreign aid and an anti-immigration policy has led to dozens of Kenyans being deported from the US. And he did not stop there, he pulled the US out of key multilateral deals like climate change and brought the world close to a third world war courtesy of his nuclear confrontations with North Korea.

And just like in 2017, Trump appears like he will still maintain the title of the most talked about political figure in the world.

Kenya under 19 cricket team

After 16 years of waiting, all eyes on Kenyan cricketers as they seek to make their fans smile again. Kenya’s return to the International Cricket Council (ICC) Under-19 World Cup will rekindle memories of a once revered cricketing nation that lost its glory, thanks to warring officials.

For long, Kenya was considered a nation whose cricketing prowess was on the rise, but all was lost and it can only be considered a sleeping giant that needs to wake up from deep slumber. The Under 19 World Cup, which bowls off mid-January will give Kenyan youngsters an opportunity to rewrite cricket story as well as mark the beginning of another journey towards recovery and probable success.

Ovella Ochieng

In a country which produces one global football superstar every 10 years, it appears Kariobangi Sharks and Harambee stars winger Ovella Ochieng time has finally come. The 19-year-old who began playing as a professional as a student at Upper Hill secondary has gone for trials in Europe twice in 2017.  Despite being a teenager he was hugely influential in the Harambee stars team that won the recent CECAFA championships held in Kenya. Whether he will be the next Dennis Oliech, Macdonald Mariga, Victor Wanyama or Michael Olunga, 2018 will tell.

Kalonzo Musyoka

The son of Kitui came back this week from Germany breathing fire. Like Mudavadi he also has the dilemma of either sticking with Raila or starting to chart his own path. His party Wiper has already made it clear that they will no longer play second fiddle in the race to 2022 and the other parties in NASA have to support Kalonzo.

As much as this looks easy on paper, history shows there is no justice in Kenyan politics and deals are just pieces of paper. Kalonzo will therefore have to fight it on his own both in NASA and on the political stage.  For a start, there are already talks that he may get back to parliament through vying for the Kitui West parliamentary seat left vacant after the death of one of his key allies Francis Nyenze.

Lupita Nyongo

Since her breakout year after starring in the movie ’12 years a slave’ in 2013 Kenya’s top export to Hollywood has not starred in any big flicks since then. She has however starred five movies but none was as big as ’12 years a slave’ which earned her an Oscar. She has also never had a role as a main character in a movie since her Hollywood debut. 

2018 however looks like a big year for the Kisumu Senator Anyang Nyongo’s daughter with big roles in two movies. She is the lead character in ‘Little Monsters’ where she stars as ‘Miss Caroline’ and in the movie ‘Black Panthers’ where she stars as ‘Nakia.’

Bob Collymore

After running Kenya’s largest company for almost a decade, Bob Collymore took a sick leave in October creating several theories about his whereabouts.  During his time at the helm Safaricom’s revenues hit Sh212.9 billion in the year to March 2017 from Sh83.96 billion in 2010.  This has enabled Safaricom to cement its leadership in mobile money even as it continues to command market leadership in voice, mobile data and SMS services.

His temporary exit also came at a time when the opposition had announced a boycott of Safaricom’s product creating a panic that caused a depreciation of its share price. Faced with a serious onslaught from Faiba 4G in the date market, Collymore’s decisions when he comes back will be key in fighting this fresh war.

Anne Waiguru

After being in the cold for more than two years for being pushed out of government over corruption related accusations Anne Waiguru made a comeback in a way she can only can manage. Apart from making history as one of the three first elected women governors in Kenya, the iron lady from Kirinyaga scored a double when Council of Governors selected her to be their co-chair.

For a woman who had almost been written off the map this was phenomenal. And with 2022 succession politics set to shift a gear higher, she is already being rumoured as deputy president William Ruto’s running mate.

Richard Ngatia

The business magnate elected to head the Nairobi Chapter of Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry has successfully lobbied several international banks to help over 3,000 start ups run by the youth in his first year in office.  Gulf African Bank, for instance set aside Sh500 million to lend to the small enterprises which are viewed by most banks as high risk borrowers including stalls those operating in open air markets like Gikomba.

By the end of December the chamber had partnered with an American business advisory organization that would help the small enterprises that make items like woven apparels gain access to the American market. In the calendar year, the chamber also partnered with the United Arab Emirates in a deal that will help a further 7,000 youth access gulf markets for their products. With soaring youth unemployment, he will be one of the social entrepreneurs to watch if he continues with the same momentum.

Tabitha Karanja

After launching the only alcoholic drinks manufacturer that took on East African Breweries Limited (EABL) and succeeding where other multinationals have failed, her company Keroche so far controls 20 percent of the market. Her plan next year is to venture into the East African Market before going for the whole continent.

If this happens Keroche will also be the only Kenyan owned alcoholic drinks manufacturer go regional, a rare feat for a company in the beer market that is only 20 years old.

Ali Hassan Joho

No other politician since independence has got away with admonishing a sitting president apart from Mombasa Governor Ali Hassan Joho.  The man, whose supporters fondly refer to as the ‘Sultan of Mombasa,’ has ensured that the ruling coalition and its principals play second fiddle to him whenever they step into the coastal city.

And when Joho is not feuding with Uhuru or Ruto, he will be battling it out with officers of the provincial administration. Observers say he oho is a shrewd politician who is preparing his 2022 presidential bid early. After a break in his incessant wars with Uhuru courtesy of the festive season and a court case challenging his win in Mombasa, it is clear that his silence won’t be long.