Author: Eva Nyambura

A hit-and-run victim who has had to spend 112 days in a hospital over a Sh1 million bill is finally free to go home. Dennis Omondi has been detained at Radiant Hospital in Pangani because he could not raise the money to offset the bill. On Wednesday, Amensty International threatened to take legal action against the hospital for illegally holding the patient. According to Omondi, he had asked the hospital to give him three months after which he would pay Sh25,000 per month. “I promised in writing to start paying Sh25,000 a month or whatever I could after I recovered…

Kenya has recorded the highest number of COVID-19 positive cases in a single day since the index case was confirmed in March. Addressing the press from Afya House, Health CAS Dr Mercy Mwangangi announced 796 positive cases from a 6,754 sample size. This brings the total number of infections to 15,601. Three of the new cases are foreign nationals while the rest are Kenyans. In terms of gender, 503 were males while 293 were females. The newly detected infections were of persons aged between 1 and 87 years. The number of recoveries shot to 7,135 after 378 patients recovered from…

Nairobi county assembly clerk Jacob Ngwele on Thursday returned to his office after months of being out in the cold. The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) found that the clerk was legally in office. Ngwele was ejected from his office in 2019 following a bitter fallout with assembly speaker Beatrice Elachi. Upon her return to the assembly in October 2019 after a failed impeachment in September 2018, Elachi accused the clerk of being irregularly appointed to office. She also noted that he had drawn huge allowances amounting to Sh1.2 million between 2018 and May 2019. The EACC found that the…

A 28 year old accountancy student at Kenya College of Accountancy has been detained at Radiant Hospital in Pangani for what seems like an eternity. Dennis Omondi was involved in a hit and run accident in the capital’s Central Business District (CBD). Initially, the victim was rushed to Guru Nanak Hospital but was later referred to Radiant Hospital with a knee injury. He has been here for 111 days and his hospital bill is over Sh1 million. “I got involved in an accident and sustained a knee fracture. I was taken into a county ambulance and rushed to a nearby…

Missing National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) accountant who is based at the Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) has been found. Grace Andeyo was found at her home in Imara Daima Estate, Nairobi on Tuesday. She was at the time unconscious, police said, adding that she could have been intoxicated. While piecing together the events, police found that Andeyo had been dropped off at home by a taxi driver, Gilbert Mokaya. “On arrival at the said place, we figured out that the missing person had indeed been dropped by the said taxi, with vehicle registration No. KCS 483X. The person in question…

President Uhuru Kenyatta has rescheduled the 5th Extra-Ordinary Session of the National and County Governments Co-ordinating Summit from Friday, July 24 to Monday, July 27. The summit is in order to review the COVID-19 situation in the country. In an announcement on Wednesday, State House noted that the Council of Governors (CoG) requested for the meeting to be moved. Since the Head of State eased restrictions imposed to curb the spread of the virus on July 6, the ministry of health has continued to report a high number of cases. So far, a total of 44 out of 47 counties…

DCI boss George Kinoti has been ordered to personally arrest Investigating Officer in Ex Sports CS Rashid Echesa case. This comes two days after Senior Principal Magistrate Kenneth Cheruiyot had directed the Nairobi County Commander to arrest PC John Munjama. On Wednesday, however, Cheruiyot ordered Kinoti to arrest the officer and present him before court for sentencing. “The Director of Criminal Investigations is directed to cause of arrest of police Constable John Munjama upon being apprehended should be escorted to this court as soon as practicable for purposes of being sentenced be contempt of court,” the amended order reads. Should…

Robert Kariuki was turned away from various hospitals because his temperature was above 39 degrees. Kariuki, had not undergone the Covid-19 test but he had all the symptoms including shortness of breath, dry cough, a rather high temperature, yet hospitals could not admit him. One facility, he said, could not allow him use their restrooms. Speaking to the Star, Kariuki had a Sh500,000 health insurance cover but that did not matter when seeking treatment. Insurance companies are not covering Covid-19 related illnesses which puts a lot of people at a loss since they cannot afford the tests. NHIF too is…

Kenya Medical Practitioners Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) is dissatisfied with the government’s decision to bring on board 20 Cuban doctors. The foreign medics belong to a Brigade of Henry Reeve, specialized in epidemics and disaster. They will be in Kenya for a period of six months and will be stationed at Kenyatta University Referral Hospital. Speaking during the union’s 8th COVID-19 briefing, secretary general Chibanzi Mwachonda said that there were more than 1,000 qualified local doctors who are still jobless. The union wants the unemployed medics to be given jobs in the next two weeks. “We have seen 20…

Nairobi senator Johnson Sakaja has formally written to Speaker Ken Lusaka tendering his resignation from the senate ad-hoc committee on Covid-19. In a letter, Sakaja said his resignation was effective from July 20. “I hereby tender my resignation as the chairman and a member of the senate Ad hoc committee on Covid-19,” the letter reads. The senator on Tuesday morning appeared before chief magistrate Roselyne Onganya and pleaded guilty to flouting COVID-19 rules on July 18 at 0100 hours at Ladies lounge bar along Dennis Pritt Road in Kilimani. He was slapped with a Sh15,000 fine which he has apparently…

Nairobi senator Johnson Sakaja on Tuesday pleaded guilty to flouting COVID-19 rules. The legislator was fined Sh15,000 or spend three months behind bars. Court noted that the Nairobi lawmaker was a first time offender. Appearing before chief magistrate Roselyne Onganyo, the senator through his lawyer John Khaminwa said he was remorseful. “He was at Kilimani Police Station on Monday and directly admitted that he had committed an offence. He heavily apologised to the entire nation. It is commendable of a leader to apologise. “As a senator he has to meet people and talk to people on various matters including Coronavirus,”…

Former NTV journalist Yassin Juma is still behind bars in Ethiopia, two weeks after his arrest. The freelance journalist who was covering the protests that erupted in Oromoo following the death of musician Hachalu Hundessa is expected back in court on July 28. According to a lawyer representing Ethiopian journalists arrested during the protests, Milkyas Bulcha, Juma has not had legal representation since his arrest. “He had no legal representation in court. I was only helping him because he had no one to help him translate,” Mr Bulcha said. He also noted that he is unaware of any efforts by…

Kenya’s Covid-19 cases on Monday shot to 13,771 after 418 persons tested positive for the virus, health CAS Rashid Aman has announced. Dr Aman said that this was after testing a 2,474 sample size in the last 24 hours. In terms of gender, 263 of the newly detected infections are males while 155 are females. They are aged between the ages of 1 and 86. Speaking during the daily COVID-19 briefing, the CAS said that 494 patients had recovered from the disease, pushing number of recoveries to 5,616. Unfortunately, he stated, Kenya recorded 4 more deaths. Total number of fatalities…

Big Brother Naija Season 5 kicked off on Sunday, July 19 with 20 housemates. This season’s theme tagged ‘Lockdown’ is already off to a rousing start with the show’s host, Ebuka Obi-Uchendu, taking viewers on a tour of the swanky colourful house. A look inside the BBNaija season 5 house reveals a vibrant display of colours and an increased attention to creative detail in the design aesthetic. Whilst the redesigned house features improved lounge, bedrooms, kitchen, garden and dining areas, a significant improvement to the house is a separate lounge area for the Head of House (HoH). The swanky new…

Nairobi County senator Johnson Sakaja has presented himself at Kilimani Police Station after police launched a manhunt. The Nairobi legislator is said to have gone into hiding on Saturday after his release. He had been arrested for flouting COVID-19 guidelines that bar people from drinking alcohol at nightclubs and prevent citizens from being outside after 9 pm and before 4am. Sakaja who chairs the Senate ad hoc committee on Covid-19, was arrested on Saturday morning at Ladies Lounge with three others. This morning, he walked into the station accompanied by Makueni senator Mutula Kilonzo Jnr and lawyer John Khaminwa. https://twitter.com/Ali_Manzu/status/1285119262856810496…