What the Debt Crisis in Kenya Reveals About International Lending

The Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women (HERO)

Thousands of Kenyans protested against a finance bill in June that would have increased taxes on many everyday items. This was proposed in part to help pay off loans from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank, which account for more than 40 percent of the country’s foreign debt. But what is Kenya’s current fiscal climate? And how are these debts impacting gender equality?

On today’s episode of The Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women, host Reena Ninan talks with Nairobi-based reporter Sharon Kiburi, who has been following Kenya’s debt crisis. Kiburi tells Ninan about her interview with Wanjira Wanjiru, a protest leader against the June finance bill, co-founder of the Mathare Social Justice Centre in Nairobi, and co-host of the Liberating Minds podcast.

Then, we hear from Diana Gichengo, the executive director of the Institute for Social Accountability (TISA). She discusses TISA’s efforts to engage with the IMF about their program in Kenya, which is largely expected to end in March. Gichengo spoke on a panel organized by Transparency International U.S. and moderated by the Trust, Accountability, and Inclusion (TAI) Collaborative on the sidelines of the IMF/World Bank meetings in October.

Guests and organizations:

• Sharon Kiburi, journalist based in Nairobi. This is her second time reporting for HERO.
• Wanjira Wanjiru, co-founder of the Mathare Social Justice Centre and co-host of the Liberating Minds podcast
• Diana Gichengo, executive director of the Institute for Social Accountability in Kenya

The Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women is a podcast from Foreign Policy, supported in part this season by the Gates Foundation, Northwestern University’s Roberta Buffett Institute for Global Affairs, and the Atlantic Council.

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