Author: Francis Muli

Police in Makueni County have arrested a primary school teacher allegedly found indecently assaulting his pupil at a swimming pool during a school tour. The police are also in pursuit of a second suspect (also a teacher), also accused of the same crime. Mr Joseph Nduva Wambua and his colleague Mike Kioko, both teachers at Step Up Zion Academy Nthongoni in Makueni’s Mtito Andei, were spotted by a concerned female customer doing the indecent act. “Detectives learnt that the school had organized a tour for its 32 KCPE candidates to Tsavo Inn Hotel located in Mtito Andei, entrusting a few…

Any move to have 2022 General Elections in Kenya is “treasonable”, Narc Kenya Party Leader Martha Karua has said. Karua was responding to a proposal by political analyst Herman Manyora to have the 2022 general elections postponed due to the prevailing Covid-19 pandemic. https://twitter.com/MarthaKarua/status/1373474240951939072 In a Youtube video, Manyora termed the current moments as “desperate times”, that demanded “desperate measures/solutions”. “I invite Kenyans to have a national conversation around postponing the 2022 elections. Indeed we should postpone the general election,” he said. “We ough and in fact, we must and we should postpone the 2022 elections. There are two challenges…

24-year-old Kiamumbi waitress Velvine Nungari was sexually assaulted by more than one assailant, the police have said. Besides arresting the prime suspect Joseph Murimi, homicide detectives are looking to arrest more suspects in connection with the gruesome murder of the waitress. Murimi told the police that he left the hotel room an hour after checking, but the attendants told a different story, that they saw him leave in the morning. Ms Nungari passed away on March 9 while undergoing treatment at the Kenyatta University Teaching and Referral Hospital. An autopsy report showed that she suffered three fractures on her spinal…

Uganda and Ethiopia are happier than Kenya, a report from the UN has revealed. In Eastern Africa, Uganda ranked highest at position 83, followed by Ethiopia at position 85 and Kenya at 86, which is two places down from the last ranking. Tanzania trailed the region at position 94. The UN World Happiness Report this year focused on how people had coped with the Covid-19 pandemic. Analytics researcher Gallup collected the data from 149 countries measuring personal freedom, social support and Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Corruption levels in the countries were also factored in the results. Read: 463 Million Children…

Motorists and Bodaboda operators along the border in Migori county are reportedly sourcing for cheaper fuel from Tanzania.  Fuel in Tanzania is retailing at Sh94 compared to Sh130 in Kenya, the motorists said. The writer caught up with Moses Otieno, a Boda Boda rider who had crossed over with a jerrican to purchase fuel from Tanzania. “Since fuel prices were hiked, life has been difficult,” he said. The fuel prices, which were hiked on March 15, attracted outrage from motorists and Bodaboda operators operating in Migori town. Read: More Pain At The Pump As Fuel Prices Increase By Over Ksh5…

Chiefs will now be expected to officiate burials, Rift Valley Regional Commissioner George Natembeya has said. Natembeya declared that the local administrators will by default become masters of ceremony in burials to ensure that the recommended Covid-19 protocols are adhered to. He warned chiefs of dire consequences in the event that a funeral is reported to have exceeded the attendees’ requirement capped at 100 people. He said that chiefs should act in compliance with President Uhuru Kenyatta’s directives last week and ensure that bodies are interred with 72 hours.  He said that members of the public who did not follow…

Twitter is testing an “undo” tweet feature on its tweets. The social network may never develop an “edit” button, but the “Undo” feature comes close. The “Undo” feature was spotted by Jane Wong under the subscription service that Twitter is planning to launch soon. That means “undo” tweet might be among the paid features available for subscribers. Nevertheless, Wong’s screenshot showed “Undo” listed under feature settings. It shows up the moment a tweet is posted. https://twitter.com/wongmjane/status/1372815977675558915 Read: Twitter “Super Follow” Accounts To Earn Revenue By Offering Exclusive Content in New Plan Normally, when you post a tweet, you get a…

It is now going to cost the taxpayer Sh2 billion to clean up a Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs) mistake, the Supreme Court has ruled. The state agency had filed a motion seeking to review an earlier judgment that found it liable for breaching a contract with GeoChem Middle East nine years ago. Geochem was seeking Sh248 million in unpaid invoices, Sh46 million used to set up a laboratory, Sh120 million operating expenses and Sh1.6 billion for lost income and interests. An arbitrator found Kebs liable and ruled that they should pay the firm Sh2.2 billion. “It is clear to…

Huawei will start charging smartphone manufacturers royalties of up to $2.50 per 5G enabled handset. The royalties will be applied on every handset using Huawei’s patented technology sold by the vendors. According to intellectual property firm GreyB, Huawei has declared ownership of about 3,007 5G Patent families filed in different countries. At least 18 percent of these are considered “essential” to 5G’S protocols and technical specifications as they enable 5G connectivity. This means that Smartphone manufacturers are required to pay for “standard essential patents” to develop 5G enabled devices.Smartphone manufacturers including Apple and Samsung are therefore likely to be required…

Tuskys Supermarket has appointed its chief financial officer (CFO) Chadwick Okumu as its interim chief executive officer following the departure of Dan Githua last year. Okumu worked as the Head of Finance for eight years at Uchumi and in various finance capacities at Reckitt Benchiser and Keroche Breweries. He was sacked in 2015 alongside the then Uchumi Chief Executive Officer Jonathan Ciano over allegations of “gross misconduct and gross negligence.” In September 2016 he was arrested over allegations of unscrupulous dealings at the supermarket chain following an audit by KPMG. The report indicated that Uchumi lacked an adequate background and…

Twitter is testing a new way for users to watch YouTube videos right on their timelines. Currently, if you click on a YouTube link attached on a tweet, you are redirected to a new tab or YouTube app. The new feature being tested will cut the redirection, allowing you to watch the video right on your timeline after which you can continue scrolling Twitter as usual. Twitter announced this latest development using a GIF on the app. “Starting today on iOS, we’re testing a way to watch YouTube videos directly in your Home timeline, without leaving the conversation on Twitter.”…

Facebook has confirmed the development of an Instagram version for kids under 13 years. The Buzz Feed reports that Instagram Head, Adam Mosseri said that the company is aware that a number of kids want to use Instagram even though there was no detailed plan yet. “Part of the solution is to create a version of Instagram for young people or kids where parents have transparency or control. It’s one of the things we’re exploring,” Mosseri told BuzzFeed News. “Increasingly kids are asking their parents if they can join apps that help them keep up with their friends,” Joe Osborne,…

Britam Holdings has wiped off nine top executive positions and now will operate with a leaner team consisting of 11 managers. Managers who held the positions that have been scrapped off are expected to leave at the end of the month, even as the new management looks to reduce operating costs by cutting off unnecessary positions. Among the positions that will no longer exist at Britam include principal executive director, chief of staff, group chief operating officer, corporate affairs director, commercial director, and actuary and product development manager. The position of the director of asset management unit has also been…

Flower farms in Naivasha are switching to solar power in a bid to cut down electricity costs. The farmers claim the high electricity costs have resulted in high production costs posing a challenge to the sector. The move comes amid a warning from the Energy and Petroleum Regulation Authority which projected a rise in the price of fuel by Sh7. Shalimar flower farm is following a precedent set by top Kenyan corporations by setting up a  428 Kilowatt (KWp) capacity solar system. Read: EPRA Proposes Tough Rules For Solar Operators The solar system which is a project of Redavia Solar…

The Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) has announced plans to dispose of 119 unclaimed bodies at the City Mortuary, Mama Lucy Hospital Funeral Home, and the Mbagathi Hospital Funeral Home. 84 out of the 119 bodies are marked as unknown, with the cause of death ranging from murder, shooting, drowning, suicide, natural, mob justice, unknown to “sudden”. “Interested members of the public are asked to identify and collect the bodies within seven days, failure to which the Nairobi Metropolitan Services will seek authority for disposal,” said NMS in a notice published in the dailies. Most of the bodies (89) are at…