Author: Eva Nyambura

The family of Felix Orinda aka DJ Evolve is in mourning following the passing of his mother, Mary Hongo. Ms Hongo is said to have passed on on Wednesday evening while receiving treatment at a health facility. The deceased apparently developed breathing complications when she collapsed at their Lucky Summer home. Read: DJ Evolve Doing Well, Father Dismisses Death Reports [Video] DJ Evolve who has been bedridden after a shooting incident in January last year, is said to have fainted after receiving the news of his mother’s death. His father, John Orinda who confirmed the news, told Word Is that the…

In 2018, National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi oversaw a vote that imposed an 8 per cent VAT on petroleum products. Garissa Township MP Aden Duale, then House Majority leader, put up a spirited fight to have the law passed. Three years later, the tune has changed. Muturi on Tuesday urged MPs to amend the law and scrap the tax blamed for rising fuel prices. Duale, who has since been ousted as the leader of majority, accused President Uhuru Kenyatta of abusing his veto powers whenever Parliament rejected Government Bills. “This House rejected the increase and introduction of VAT on petroleum.…

DCI detectives have arrested a woman who faked her kidnapping in order to elope with a cab driver. Jane Wairimu Ndung’u is said to have called her husband, Brian Mutuku, on Friday evening claiming to have been kidnapped along Loita Street in Nairobi’s CBD. She claimed that her kidnappers were demanding Sh200,000 as ransom before letting her go. A panicky Mutuku filed a missing persons report at Embakasi Police Station. He (Mutuku) and Wairimu’s kin managed to raise Sh17,000 which they sent to the alleged kidnappers. “Unbeknownst to them, Wairimu had eloped with a cab driver to his one roomed…

The Public Investments Committee (PIC) wants the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) to probe the Kenya Medical Supplies Agency (KEMSA) over the loss of Sh7.8 billion. The Mvita MP Abdulswamad Nassir-led committee recommended the prosecution of former board chairman Kembi Gitura, Joel Onsare and former Kemsa board members. Also recommended for probe are suspended CEO Jonah Manjari, director of procurement Charles Juma, Finance director Waiganjo Karanja and head of legal Ferdinand Wanyonyi for dereliction of duty. The committee wants officials who backdated the commitment letters issued to Shop n Buy Ltd, prosecuted. Read: Parliamentary Committee Summons Shop ‘N’ Buy Directors Over…

Moi University is knee-deep in debt, Council chairperson Dr Humphrey Njuguna has confirmed. This was following revelations by Auditor-General Nancy Gathungu in a 2018-2019 report. The report showed that the institution of higher learning’s debts had reached over Sh4.5 billion. Speaking to the Standard, Dr Njuguna attributed the crippling debts to scrapped courses and closure of satellite campuses across the country. Read: EACC Launches Probe into Alleged Fraud, Ghost Workers at Moi University Other challenges facing the institution, he said, are a low enrollment of students and a bloated workforce. The number of students has over the years reduced from 50,000…

The Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) on Wednesday recalled 14 hand sanitizer brands over failure to meet standard requirements. In a statement, the bureau said the recalled brands were among 47 brands collected and analysed during a routine surveillance. The agency noted that hand sanitizers had been placed in the category of products desirous of constant surveillance and monitoring, due to their significance in the fight against Coronavirus. Read: Velvex Among 30 Brands Of Hand Sanitizers Declared Substandard By KEBS “Thirty-three representing 70 per cent of the sampled brands met these requirements while 14 failed to meet these requirements,” said Kebs.…

The Kenya National Innovation Agency (KeNIA) has opened nomination call for the National Innovation Awards (NIA). The aim of the awards is to recognize, and honour Kenya’s leading innovators with remarkable achievements in diverse fields. The award consists of three categories; the Big 4 Innovation Award, Assistive Technology Award, and the Government Agency Innovation Award. Big 4 innovation Award seeks to recognize, and award outstanding innovations within the Big 4 Agenda of universal healthcare, affordable housing, food security, and manufacturing. Assistive Technology Award aims to recognize and award innovations that are assistive and adaptive for people living with disabilities or…

Kenyan born politician Lucy Gichuhi will bury her daughter, Peris “Kadada” Gichuhi in Australia after failing to raise funds to repatriate her remains. In a GoFundMe page opened three weeks ago, the former Aussie senator said the family needed Sh3.3 million in order to give the deceased a befitting send-off in Kenya. “It is the desire of the family to give her a befitting send-off by repatriating the remains to her motherland Kenya,” read the announcement on the page that has since been closed. “A little here and there will go a long way in making this possible and lessening…

Ofafa Jericho High School in Nairobi has been closed for three days following a night inferno that razed down a dormitory. Form Four students will resume studies on Friday while Form One, Form Two and Form Three learners will return on Monday. Fire investigators and the police are currently at the scene of incident probing the cause of fire. Reports indicated that at least 50 students were on Monday night rushed Metropolitan hospital in Buru Buru over carbon poisoning. Read: 50 Students Hospitalised after Night Fire at Ofafa Jericho High School 15 students have since been treated and discharged. Meanwhile, Sigalame…

The family of the doctor whose children were found dead at their Milimani, Nakuru home claim their kin had nothing to do with their deaths. Dr James Gakara’s two children; Dylan Gakara, and Karuana Gakara, were on Saturday evening found dead and he unconscious. Speaking to the Nation, his sister Mary Gakara said the information given to the family by the first responders did not add up. “I know my brother very well. He would do anything to protect his children. He is also not the kind of person to commit such an act,” she said. “He loves his family…

Media personality Grace Kuria has left Chinese broadcasting giant, China Global Television Network (CGTN) Africa. Kuria who joined the media house seven months ago said she was leaving with “greater insight on digital media”. “Some personal news! Today, I leave CGTN Africa a better person than I was months ago, with greater insight on digital media,” she tweeted. “Forever grateful for the opportunity. Excited about the next phase of my career. God takes all the glory.” https://twitter.com/GraceKuriaKE/status/1439897378258042883 Prior to working with CGTN, Kuria had been working with Standard Group’s KTN. She announced her exit on January 17 saying, “I’d like…

Somali scholar Abdiwahab Sheikh Abdiswamad, who was apparently abducted about two weeks ago is back home. Abdiswamad was returned by his abductors on Sunday, said his wife, Halima Mohammed on Monday. “Yes, he is back. But we cannot talk about that issue at the moment,” she said. Also confirming his safe return was Haki Africa’s executive director Hussein Khalid. “We are pleased to inform members of the public that Sheikh Abdiswamad was returned on Sunday evening on September 19, 2021 and is now with his family. More information will be shared by the family in due course,” said Mr Khalid.…

A superior court in the US has allowed the exhumation of a Kenyan woman’s body, secretly buried by her lover in December 2020. Obadiah Kinara, the husband of the deceased Dorothy Ong’era, had moved to the court of appeal to have an order quashed allowing the body to be exhumed for postmortem. Through his advocate, Ms Kursten King, Mr Kinara sought to block his father-in-law, David Ong’era, from exhuming his daughter’s remains. He argued that the lower court abused its powers by allowing Mr Ong’era to conduct an autopsy. He claimed that Mr Ong’era had no legal authority to demand…

Kenya on Friday confirmed 444 new COVID-19 cases from a sample size of 7,511 tested in the last 24 hours, pushing the total cases confirmed so far to 245,781. The positivity rate is at 5.9 percent with cumulative tests conducted standing at 2,486,331. “From the cases 430 are Kenyans while 14 are foreigners. 242 males while 202 are females. The youngest is a three-week-old infant while the oldest is 90 years,” said Health CS Mutahi Kagwe in a statement. Nairobi recorded the highest number of infections, reporting 138 followed by Nakuru 36, Meru 34 and Kiambu 28. Read: Kenya Receives 795,600…

A petition has been filed in court challenging further implementation of the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC). Through lawyer Nelson Havi, the petitioner lawyer Esther Awour Adero, asked that the matter is heard by a bench of not less than 5 judges. “An order of injunction be issued restraining the government from further implementing the Kenya competence-based Curriculum introduced through the basic Basic Education Curriculum Framework, 2017 and Sessional Paper 1 of 2019 on Policy Framework for Reforming Education and Training for Sustainable Development in place of the existing system and structure of basic education (8-4-4) codified under section 41 of the…