Author: Eva Nyambura

A Nation journalist was on Friday harassed by a cop in Mombasa. In a clip doing rounds online, the journo Peter Wainaina was being beaten by a police officer at around 5pm, two hours before the dusk till dawn curfew imposed by the government. The reporter who was only doing his job, pleaded with the officer who instead asked to go home. “It’s not even 6pm,” Wainaina said. To this the officer said, “You want us to wait for 6pm yet stones are being thrown at us?” https://twitter.com/dailynation/status/1243552601003737096 The curfew did however exempt media practitioners. Others also allowed outside during…

At least 250 Kenyans working at Dusit D2 Hotel have been rendered jobless after the hotel management gave notice of closure. The hotel stopped operations owing to the government’s social distancing directive and the travel restrictions. The suspension of international flights has also contributed to the closure of hotels. A government directive forcing bars and nightclubs to remain closed as a way of stemming the spread of COVID-19 has also seen the occupancy rate in hotels go down significantly. Villa Rosa, Ole Sereni and Tribe Hotel have scaled down operations. “In light of the evolving Covid-19 situation, some of the…

Rabai MP William Kamoti has tested positive for Coronavirus, Premier Hospital, in Nyali Mombasa has confirmed. Kamoti was admitted at Premier Hospital after experiencing difficulty in breathing. He was one of the people who came into contact with Kilifi Deputy governor Gideon Saburi who is currently in quarantine after testing positive for COVID-19. The Rabai legislator and another legislator who is yet to be identified presented themselves to the Coast General Hospital for testing following Saburi’s forced quarantine. Some 17 police officers involved in the arrest were also asked to self quarantine. Saburi is said to have jetted back into…

Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) Managing director Daniel Manduku on Friday quit his job. He informed Transport CS James Macharia of his decision to resign in a letter. “I write to communicate formally a decision which I have reached after deep introspection and lengthy consultation. As you know, it has been both an honour and a privilege to serve as the head of this most vital installation. The duty of the captain of this ship has been to ensure that she remains steady and that she stays her course,” he said. According to the Nation, his resignation will take effect on…

Kenya Railways on Thursday suspended the Madaraka Express Passenger Service on certain routes in compliance with President Uhuru kKenyatta’s dusk till dawn curfew that takes effect on Friday. In a statement, Kenya Railways temporarily put on hold the Nairobi-Mombasa, Nairobi-Suswa and Nairobi Terminus – Ngong routes. The 7 pm to 5 am curfew was a way to combat the spread of COVID-19 that has so far infected 31 people and killed one. Of the 31, one has been sent home after making a full recovery. 14 seater matatu operators were directed to carry a maximum 8 passengers while the 25…

Kenya has confirmed three more cases of coronavirus, Health CAS Mercy Mwangangi says. This brings the total number of positive Covid-19 cases to 31. Addressing reporters at Afya House, Ms Mwangangi said the new cases are spread out in five counties namely; Nairobi, Kajiado, Mombasa, Kilifi, and Kwale. She also noted that the cases are close contacts of previous cases. They are all Kenyan women aged between 30 to 61. Two of the new cases are from Kilifi and one from Nairobi. The government, she added, has traced at least 1,029 close contacts who are being monitored closely by medical…

Speakers of the National Assembly and Senate Justin Muturi and Ken Lusaka will take 30 percent pay cuts for the next three months as the state seeks to combat the spread of COVID-19. Addressing the nation from parliament buildings, the Senate speaker did however note that members of parliament are still negotiating whether to have their salaries slashed. “We have agreed that we are going to take a salary cut of 30% of our salary for the next three months, until the situation improves but for the members of the National Assembly and the members of the Senate, consultations are…

Kenyans will not be allowed to roam around starting 7 pm to 5 am effective Friday, March 27, President Uhuru Kenyatta has announced. “Effective Friday 27th March 2020, a daily curfew from 7pm to 5am, shall be in effect in the territory of the Republic of Kenya, with all movement by persons not authorized to do so or not being medical professionals, health workers, critical and essential services providers, being prohibited between those hours,” he said. Addressing the nation,  the head of state exempted individuals offering critical services including medical professionals. Others are health workers, National Security, Administration and Coordination…

Government spokesperson Col. Cyrus Oguna has asked Kenyans to ignore reports indicating that the country could be headed for a lockdown over the spread of COVID-19. In a tweet, Oguna said the reports doing rounds on social media are false and meant to cause panic. He also urged Kenyans to remain calm and refrain from consuming “content whose source can’t be verified.” “There is information on social media of a possible lockdown in Kenya. The information is false, misinforming & causing panic. Don’t consume such content whose source can’t be verified. Let us remain calm, & only consume information from…

Blogger Cyprian Nyakundi is being held by the police for falsely claiming a Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) official refused to quarantine following a foreign trip. According to Nyakundi, KRA commissioner general James Mburu and other senior officials declined to self quarantine even after traveling to Kenya via UK. “Hi Cyprian, KRA top officials jetted in last week. I don’t think they self-quarantined and they had used the UK route”, a KRA staff member wrote to the blogger. Further, Nyakundi said, Mr Mburu had traveled to America and was out and about before the mandatory 14 day self quarantine lapsed. “KRA…

Two senior city hall officials are in self quarantine after returning from Dubai last week. Deputy governor nominee and Disaster Management and Coordination CEC Anne Mwenda and her Environment counterpart Larry Wambua attended a State House meeting on Sunday. They met with governor Mike Sonko and later head of Public Service Joseph Kinyua. Also present were other CECs and Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) Director General Mohamed Abdala Badi and his deputy Enosh Momanyi. The officials were supposed to meet up with President Uhuru Kenyatta but he was not around by the time they finished the meeting. Ms Mwenda has defended…

The mastermind behind the Sh72 million ATM heist that took place in September 2019 was on Tuesday gunned down. Wycliff Vincent Oduor was shot by detectives around the Kayole Junction area. “The Mastermind in Ksh.72M Nairobi West ATM Heist last year; Wycliff Vincent ODUOR was today gunned down in a fierce shootout between a 3-man gang of Robbery W/Violence suspects & Detectives responding to a distress call from the public at Kayole Junction in Nairobi,” DCI said. The police, DCI says, were responding to a public distress call when they opened fire on a gang of three robbery with violence…

A German army shipment of 6 million face masks vanished while on transit at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), defence ministry in Berlin confirmed Tuesday. News weekly Der Spiegel reported that the consignment disappeared towards the end of last week. According to a German spokesperson, it was not clear why the masks that meet the FFP2 standard for protection against particles and aerosols, were transiting via Kenya. The government, she said, is :trying to find out what happened.” The shipment was due to arrive in Germany on March 20. The army is helping the health practitioners fight the deadly…

Judiciary staff members have been asked to work from home as COVID-19 cases continue to rise. On Monday Health CS Mutahi Kagwe announced a new case of coronavirus bringing the total of confirmed cases to 16. In a memo to judges, judicial officers and workers by Chief Registrar Anne Amadi, staffers have been instructed to stay away from their work stations. Ms Amadi also directed that notices of closure be displayed outside the courts. Two staff member contacts will however be available in case of emergencies. They will handle the urgent matters via email, she said. According to Amadi,  heads…

Panafrican Pay TV provider MultiChoice on Monday launched another Maisha Magic channel. Maisha Magic Plus which will be available on DStv Premium, Compact Plus and Compact on DStv channel 163, will air locally inspired shows. On the list of the local programs will be a daily telenovela ‘Kovu’, a weekly drama ‘Kina’, starring locally bred stars and a reality show – ‘Date my Family Kenya’. Speaking during the launch, MultiChoice Kenya MD, Nancy Matimu said the channel will only cement Maisha Magic’s place in the Kenyan entertainment industry. “Maisha Magic is the leading local entertainment channel in Kenya and the launch of Maisha Magic…