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Ciku Kimeria is a Kenyan author "Of goats and poisoned oranges" - (https://www.amazon.com/goats-poisoned-oranges-Ciku-Kimeria-ebook/dp/B00HBBWPI6), development consultant, adventurer and travel blogger (www.thekenyanexplorer.com). She writes both fiction and non-fiction focusing on African stories that need telling. She has worked on diverse pieces for various international and local publications including Quartz, Ozy, The East African etc. She has travelled to 45 countries – 16 of them in Africa. 153 countries to go and 63 territories!
"Of goats and poisoned oranges" has been extremely well received in Kenya and beyond. It tells the story of a Kenyan middle aged power couple and their complicated marriage. The novel explores issues of greed, revenge, betrayal and murder. It runs from the 1960s to 2013. It has been described as “Wicked, funny, poignant, wacky, human, a big ball of fun and danger”, “A unique and captivating book”, “Fun and intriguing”, “Impossible to put down once you start reading.”
She recently moved to Dakar, Senegal from Kenya to work on her second novel. She also works at as the Africa Communication Manager at a leading global strategy consulting firm.
She holds a B.S. in Management Science from MIT with minors in Urban Planning and International development studies.
Tobacco Giants And The War They Are Waging In African Countries
With the decrease in popularity of smoking in developing countries, tobacco giants have turned to Africa as their next growth market. With factors such as a large and growing young population, a rising middle class, and the fact that tobacco legislation on the continent is recent, Africa is ripe for the picking.
"There are an estimated 77 million smokers in Africa and those numbers are predicted to rise by nearly 40% from 2010 levels by 2030, which is the largest projected such increase in the world."
The chosen method of ensuring the tobacco industry's growth is by spending millions of dollars on litigation knowing well that the countries whose laws they are fighting against do not have the same resources at their disposal. As tobacco legislation on the continent is only recent, tobacco giants are able to use experience they have gained from battling legal systems in more developed countries.
"The tobacco industry is now turning its focus toward emerging markets in sub-Saharan Africa, seeking to exploit the continent’s patchwork tobacco control regulations and limited resources to combat industry marketing advances."
What makes the situation more tragic is that the countries in which the tobacco giants are expanding are the ones least able to deal with the health issues that will come about as a result of increased cigarette consumption. These countries are also ill-equipped to ensure that cigarette smokers are well informed of the risks of smoking and also unable to ensure that cigarettes are only available to adults.
"Stalls sell single Dunhill, Embassy, Safari and other BAT cigarette sticks, costing around 4p (5 cents) each, alongside sweets, biscuits and fizzy drinks. The vendors split the packets of 20 manufactured by BAT. 'They are targeting children,' said Samuel Ochieng, chief executive of the Consumer Information Network. 'They mix cigarettes with candies and sell along the school paths.'”
Lawsuits are in eight African countries. The future looks bleak.
