Nairobi, May 4 -- It's that time of the year when we bring you a conversation with an East African who has subversive ideas and is happy to talk to us on condition of anonymity for fear he could lose clients, get in trouble with his in-laws, or his church leaders. We shall call him Rogue Scholar (RS).

Charles Onyango-Obbo: I know you are a dispassionate scholar, and I have heard my fair share of irreverent views, but I must say I wasn't quite ready to hear you say that the floods that have killed close to 500 people in EAC region alone, and have destroyed property and infrastructure worth hundreds of millions of dollars are, as you put it, "one of the best things to happen to East Africa this year."

Rogue Scholar: I don't celebrate the ...