The African Trumpet

Epizode

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  Gleh the Poet – Public Life Needs Urgent Reforms 06.07.2026 34min

  There is a cross-cutting sense of dysfunction that defines the public life in ways that drain the public imagination and sap the national spirit. What does it take to dream of better outcomes and the courage to follow through and actualize them? The Elephant in conversation with Gleh the Poet, an award-winning poet, teacher, and spoken-word activist.
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  Insecurity of Expulsion: Trauma and Unbelongingness in Amin's Uganda 05.07.2026 50min

  Prof. Anneeth Kaur Hundle and Dr. Mshai Mwangola outline and analyze the intersecting drivers of migration and displacement—conflict, racialization, economic precarity, and governance failures—with rigor and compassion and amplify the voices of the displaced Asian communities, centering their experiences, agency, and aspirations rather than reducing them to victims or statistics.
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  Jeff Ian - Youth and the Voter Question 22.06.2026 49min

  We are 3 days away from the Gen Z revolution anniversary and close to within a year of the consequential 2027 elections. How are the youths faring so far as a political constituency and a civic cluster? The Elephant talks to Jeff Ian.
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  John Githongo - Kenya Kwanza: The War on Graft Is Dead - Corruption’s Seductive Comeback? 09.06.2026 37min

  Kenya Kwanza: The war on graft is dead — in this bruising account, John Githongo traces how anti-corruption institutions were hollowed out, and explores who filled the vacuum, and asks what ordinary Kenyans stand to lose as graft reasserts itself across public life.
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  Malong Awan – East Africa’s Need For Cross-Cutting Solidarity 06.06.2026 39min

  From aid and youth labor issues to democracy and cross-border trade, East Africa’s fate is deeply intertwined, and that may be the spark needed to bring about cross-border mutual support and collaboration. The Elephant talks to Malong Awan.
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  The Latent Fissures Dividing Our Worlds 04.06.2026 28min

  From Kenya to Brazil, South Africa to the US, there seems to exist a multiplicity of issues driving a wedge across race, gender, and national identities. What are the unresolved questions and unaddressed realities driving this divergence of ideals and ideas? The Elephant's John Githongo in conversation with Tara O'Connor.
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  Mark Antony: May the New Native Rise Up 27.05.2026 59min

  So what does it mean to be young, aspirational, driven, yet caught up in a country with so much potential yet so few results? Who benefits from the structural deficiency built into public life, and how do young people navigate these conundrums when trying to paint a picture of success? The Elephant in conversation with Mark Antony.
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  Kwame Owino: Fuel Hikes and False Promises: An Economy That Refuses to Grow for the People 23.05.2026 45min

  Kenya’s economy stands at a crossroads: outwardly resilient, with projected growth hovering around 4.5–5.0 percent and a relatively stable macro‑environment, yet weighed down by persistent fiscal fragility, high debt‑servicing costs, and a stubbornly weak labour market. The question “Whither the economy?” cuts to the core of whether the country can translate this modest growth into broad‑based jobs, inclusive industrialisation, and genuine citizen‑facing prosperity—or remain trapped in a cycle of debt‑led spending and uneven structural transformation. Kwame Owino tells us why.
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  Trevor Munga: Consequence of Elite Failure in Kenya 02.05.2026 39min

  What happens to younger folks when society fails to account for and plan long-term? How does the consequence compound over time, and who pays the price? The Elephant in conversation with Trevor Munga.
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  Andréas Otieno: The Generational Vote Takes Shapes 25.04.2026 27min

  There is a generational conversation to be had that points to a generational split in the potential youth vote; millennials versus Gen Z. How is it likely to play out in the next 15 months? The Elephant in Conversation with Andréas Otieno.
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  Dr Willy Mutunga - Kenya's Baronial Class: Architects of Perpetual Backwardness 24.04.2026 1h 25min

  Kenya's baronial class—a tight-knit elite of political dynasties, business moguls, and landed gentry—has entrenched itself since independence, perpetuating backwardness through systemic plunder. The Elephant in conversation with Chief Justice Emeritus, Willy Mutunga.
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  Prof. Wandia Njoya: Kenya's Crisis: Our Elites Are Not Organic to Society 11.04.2026 1h 1min

  Kenya's crisis stems from elites disconnected from our societal roots. Imported from global neoliberal templates, they prioritize foreign debt traps, IMF dictates, and elite capture over organic, people-driven solutions. This alienation fuels inequality, erodes trust, and stifles authentic African agency—demanding we reclaim leadership grounded in our lived realities.
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  Dr. Abraham Rugo - Debt, Elections, and Budgets: A Public Finance Heist 30.03.2026 58min

  The economy continues to reflect a complex and ambiguous dynamic with a very vivid lived reality for the citizens. What will it take for Kenya to build proper safeguards that ensure the public finance fundamentals are representative and productive for every citizen? The Elephant in conversation with Bajeti Hub CEO, Dr. Abraham Rugo.
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  Mary Gichuki: Citizens in Survival Mode 25.03.2026 1h 1min

  Despite the numbers quoted by leaders, Mwanachi's life across health, education, agriculture, and daily sustenance continues to be tough with little ease in sight. At what point will Mwanachi say, " Enough"? The Elephant in conversation with grassroots mobilizer Mary Gichuki.
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  Gen Z Baddie: What Becomes of The Youth Vote? 18.03.2026 57min

  Kenya has 40 million adults but only 22 million registered voters, with 8 million abstaining. Voter apathy is evident as few register. The typical voter is disengaged, raising concerns for future elections. The Elephant in conversation with Charity, aka Gen Z Baddie, a teacher and political activist.
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  Young Men in Kenyan Politics 03.03.2026 41min

  Young men are active participants in our politics as citizens, aspirants, voters, goons, and facilitators. In this chat, Alfred Abuka joins Yusuf Wanjala to audit how young men show up in politics.
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  7 Years Later: Millennial Reflections on Africa's Lost Decade of Promise 23.02.2026 53min

  Joe Kobuthi chats with Darius Okolla about millennials’ dashed dreams. From the 2010s optimism—youth innovation, democratic hopes—to today’s authoritarian backslide, debt traps, stalled reforms, and failed dreams.
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  Muthoni Drummer Queen: "We the People Shall" - Echoes of Revolution in the Streets 20.02.2026 32min

  Muthoni Drummer Queen, Kenya's genre-bending rapper and Blankets & Wine founder, channels the Gen Z uprising in her latest reflections. "We the people shall rise," she declares, amplifying youth-led protests against corruption and inequality that rocked Kenya since 2024
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  Agneta Asitwa: Redefining the Millennial Conundrum 13.02.2026 39min

  They were born into a nascent democracy, weaned on the rhetoric of liberalisation, Structural Adjustment Programs, and globalisation. Theirs was to be the dividend of the new constitution, a generation unshackled from the ghosts of the past, poised to inherit a “digital” nation on the rise. Kenyan millennials have become a generation in limbo—the defining cohort of a betrayed promise. Agneta Asitwa helps us explore this topic not with nostalgia, but with analytical urgency: Where are the Millennials?
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  Hezbon Bahati: Whither the African Millennial? 30.01.2026 35min

  African millennials, born roughly 1981-1996, navigate a continent of rapid urbanization, digital connectivity, and economic volatility, facing high unemployment, social exhaustion, and a profound sense of identity crisis. The Elephant in conversation with artist Hezbon 'Baba Taifa' Bahati.