Author: Francis Muli

Somalia has said it will not lift ban on miraa from Kenya despite restoring diplomatic relations with the country. In a statement, the Somali Civil Aviation authority (SCAA) said that it would not allow miraa (khart) into its airports. “Somali Civil Aviation authority (SCAA) has the honor to inform all The operators that Carrying Mirra to Somalia is still prohibited, and the Policy of the Federal Government of Somalia did not change regarding the transportation of Mirra to Somalia airports,” said SCAA director-general Ahmed Moallin Hassan. “Transporting Mirra without clearance from SCAA will be considered unlawful act and Violation of…

316 more people have tested positive for Covid-19 from 4,251 samples, bringing total infections to 163,554. In a statement, the Ministry of Health said that the fatalities have risen to 2,895 after another 12 patients succumbed to the disease. 1,099 patients currently admitted in various hospitals across the country while 6,290 patients are on the home-based care programme. 133 patients are in ICU, out of which 27 are on ventilatory support. Also, 102 patients are separately on supplementary oxygen, out of which 96 are in general wards and six in the HDU. The Ministry confirmed that 62 patients have recovered…

Senior Immigration officer Philip Sitienei has been shot dead in Turkana. Sitienei, 43, was shot severally by two assailants on Sunday, May 9, 2021 while on his routine morning run along Lokichoggio –Nadapal highway, two kilometres from Lokichogio town. According to area Assistant County Commissioner Kennedy Omollo who confirmed the incident, Sitienei was killed by highly trained assailants who tried to clear all the evidence after killing him. “The deceased was murdered after assailants ambushed him and shot him several times. We have launched an investigation into the incident,” Omollo said. “Why would the assailant shoot him and collect the spent…

The Inspector-General of Police Hillary Mutyambai has announced that the police are investigating the case of a viral video of a female police officer ‘begging’ to be allowed to resign. The IG only said they are checking the cop’s particulars before taking any action, without giving any details. “Checking our records to establish her station and comment from her commander. We shall then revert and act,” Mutyambai said. Read: Police Service to Ban Cops from Marrying Colleagues In the video that has gone viral, the unidentified policewoman is accusing the department of internal affairs of rampant corruption and frustrations to junior…

June Ruto, daughter to Deputy President Willian Ruto on Saturday, May 8, 2021 got engaged to the love of his life, Alexander Ezenagu. Alexander Ezenagu is a Nigerian who works as an assistant Law Professor at the Hamad Bin Khalifa University in Qatar. According to Nigerian politician and businessman Osita Chidokevent who attended the event at Ruto’s Karen home, the event was “small and simple, and family-focused”. “His position as Deputy President was relegated as he played the role of a father. Hon. Ruto and his wife (Racheal) were great hosts. I regaled them with Igbo customs, proverbs, and more.…

The Capital Markets Authority (CMA) has allowed Crown Paints Kenya to issue and list 71,181,000 new ordinary shares on the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE). The move is aimed at raising Ksh711,810,000, to enable the company to maneuver the tough economic times caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. The funds raised from the rights issue will be used to facilitate the development of new products, retiring of current facilities, and funding regional expansion. Read: New Era For CMA As James Ndegwa Announces His Exit Crown Paints Kenya Plc is expected to make bi-annual updates to the Authority on use of the proceeds of…

Nkosana Makate has headed back to the courts, applying for a review of R47 million (351,752,081) offered to him by Vodacom for his “Please call me” invention. South African Telecom operator Vodacom offered the inventor of the popular service  “Please Call Me” R47 million after negotiations. The counsel for Vodacom chief executive Shameel Joosub said the amount was fair, and that if anything, he had been overly generous. The case which has span for 21 years may finally be coming to a close, but only if Makate decides to accept the offer. However, the inventor has asked the court to…

Meru Senator Mithika Linturi was arrested over a Ksh100 overdraft facility associated with his company Atticon Limited and not over the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) debate, Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i has said. In a letter to the Senate, Matiang’i said Linturi’s business partners Emily Nkirote Buantai and Collins Kipchumba Ngetich made a complaint to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) over the conduct of Linturi, who allegedly forged documents to throw them out. The CS says that Linturi illegally instigated the removal of the two from the shareholder list before renewing the overdraft facility without their consent. “Buantai made…

Subscription video-streaming service, Netflix has reviewed its prices upwards for clients in the Kenyan market. The move was expected following the implementation of the 1.5 percent digital tax for online services. Consequently, the rates have been revised as follows: The standard package supporting two users will now cost Sh1,100, up from Sh950. The premium package will now cost Sh1,450 up from Sh1,400. The rates will remain the same for the basic package that costs Sh700. The company issued a notice alerting users of the intended price reviews. “Starting May 30, a value-added tax (VAT) will be included in your Netflix…

In a quest to keep users more secure, Google has announced plans to make two-factor authentication mandatory. In a blog post, the tech giant said that users whose accounts are appropriately configured will be enrolled for two-step verification. “Normally we ask people who have enrolled in two-step verification (2SV) to confirm it’s really them with a simple tap via a Google prompt on their phone whenever they sign in. Soon we’ll start automatically enrolling users in 2SV if their accounts are appropriately configured.” the blog post read. This means that Google account users who have not enrolled will start receiving…

The Anti-Counterfeit Agency (ACA) on Thursday nabbed over 20,000 counterfeit N95 masks after raiding a leading hospital in Nairobi. The masks had been supplied by a company named John Gray Ltd, and bore the logo of M3 Co.N95. “The raid followed a tip-off by hospital officials about a suspicious supply by a company named John Gray Ltd. The consignment was delivered to the hospital earlier this week and failed internal quality and standard tests at the facility,” said ACA in a statement. This comes as a major health scare when deadly variants of the Covid-19 virus from India are being…

M-Pesa Africa Managing Director Sitoyo Lopokoiyit has been named among the top 50 digital personalities in the African Continent. The list appeared in a Pan-African weekly Magazine, Jeune Afrique, which is published in French. Lopokoiyit has vast experience having managed the mobile money markets in Kenya and Tanzania. Under his leadership, M-Pesa has grown to become one of Safaricom’s most successful products with revenues of over $1 billion (Sh106 billion) M-Pesa was particularly instrumental in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic as more Kenyans tried to avoid handling cash. During Safaricom’s 20 year celebrations in November, the company revealed that…

Two suspects have been charged with defrauding an Italian national of Sh19 million (USD185,000). Gideon Nuka Gbaravopnu and Seth Steve Okute were arraigned at Milimani Law Courts where they were charged with obtaining money by false pretense. The two suspects allegedly approached the Italian national, Lewis Ikena promising to facilitate the transfer of 2000 kilograms of gold for sale in Dubai. They received the funds from the Italian national on diverse dates between January 1 and April 30. Read also: Two More Suspects In Lang’ata Robbery Nabbed In Mombasa, Sh2 Million Recovered The charge sheet further says that the money…

Somalia has announced the restoration of diplomatic relations with Kenya after mediation by the Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim Al Thani. In a statement, the Federal Government of Somalia said it was restoring the relations in the “interests of good neighborliness”. “The two governments agree to keep friendly relations between the two countries on the basis of principles of mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, non-interference in each other internal affairs, equality, mutual benefit and peaceful co-existence. The Presidents of both countries are grateful and thankful to the Emir of State of Qatar for his good offices in this regard,”…

Ride-hailing taxi service, Bolt, has announced plans to venture into car hiring as it seeks to expand its revenue streams. The service will offer a “Bolt Drive” on the app where users can select the nearest available vehicles. Private owners and fleet companies dealing in car hire can register with Bolt as providers. Bolt did not disclose the exact launch date of the services, but shared that the pricing will be based on the selected car model, the duration of the trip, distance driven and fuel prices. Earlier this year, the company ventured into food delivery. The service is currently…