Author: Francis Muli

Statistics from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) show that March inflation rate hit 4.35 percent from to 4.14 percent a in February. The inflation index has been attributed to rising food prices, as a result of the drought situation that is being experienced in many parts of the country. In a statement, KNBS said that on a month-on-month basis, inflation was 1.60 percent. The food and non-alcoholic index rose 3.30 percent month-on-month. However, prices of some food items were lower in March 2019 compared to March 2018. For instance, maize grain recorded a drop of 33.81 per cent…

Reports reaching Kahawa Tungu indicate that the management of United States International University – Africa (USIU) has warned staffers divulging information to media about student unrest. On the lead is finance and legal director who is threatening the staff members saying that anybody found to be speaking to bloggers will be punished. Yesterday, students from the School of Science who are mostly from the Bachelor of Pharmacy held demonstrations opposing the university grading system terming it as is too high and failing them en mass, so as to get them to repeat courses and make further payments. The USIU grading…

The board and the management at Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC) are at loggerheads over the amount of money used in the construction of Kisumu Oil Jetty project, which has been since scandalised. According to the board chairman John Ngumi, the board approved Ksh1.487 billion for the project, while the management on the other hand spells another figure of Ksh1.9 billion, hence causing a Ksh400 million discrepancy. “The board approved a budget of Ksh1.487 billion and this is what went to Cabinet Secretary in the ministry of energy and petroleum for onward transmission to the cabinet secretary for Treasury. I will…

Isuzu East Africa (Isuzu EA) and Co-operative Bank of Kenya have inked a deal that will allow loanees to make daily repayments. Speaking during the signing of the deal, Isuzu EA Managing Director Rita Kavashe said that the deal is expected to take away the anxiety of an expected huge amount payment required at the end of the month. “We strongly believe that this partnership will enable SMEs grow their business without affecting their cash flow,” said Ms Kavashe. The partnership targets SME owners intending to buy Isuzu vehicles where they get up 95 percent financing from Co-operative Bank. The…

A house along Peponi Road, next to Karura Forest whose construction was stopped on grounds that it encroached riparian land along Karura River is still under construction. A spot check by Kahawa Tungu’s investigative desk found that all demolition marks on the entrance to the construction site had been concealed, and work is still going on. In October 2018, the construction was stopped and several workers were charged with erecting a building without approved plans. The building being developed by Elegant Properties, is now on eighth floor and the area is residential for only three floor dwelling. The construction site…

The government will not pay the Chandaria family Ksh19.9 billion as earlier ruled by the High Court concerning their 95.2-acre piece of land occupied by squatters. The land belonged to Orbit Chemicals, which is owned by Dhiren Chandaria, Ashok Chandaria and sachen Chandaria. In the High Court, judges ruled that ministry officials colluded with cartels to grab the land and subdivide it, hence awarded the Chandarians Ksh6 billion, which has ballooned to Ksh19.9 billion as of 2017. However Court of Appeal judges found that in case the company suffered losses as a result of invasion by squatters, the government was…

Detectives from the Transnational Organized Crime, this morning rescued 25 female victims of human trafficking in a house belonging to Mr Nicholas Mugambi Waigwa. The 25 women aged between 24 and 33 years, all Burundians, were set for trafficking to unknown destinations. The human traffickers; Ms Mercy Kaaia, Ms Lydia Wairimu and Ms Susan Nyambura Nganga have been arrested. https://twitter.com/DCI_Kenya/status/1111126836409454593 Burundians have been an easy target for human traffickers, who promise them jobs in the Middle East. Read: Kenyan Arrested Trafficking 10 Ugandans To The Middle East On March 7, Mr Francis Njuguga Kagunda was accused of attempting to traffic…

AAR Insurance has given in to online pressure and agreed to pay Boniface Mwangi’s hospital bill. In a tweet, activist Mwangi revealed that the insurer had agreed to pay his bill, after a meeting with them and officials from the Insurance Regulatory Authority (IRA). “Yesterday l lodged a complaint with Insurance Regulatory Authority. Today we had a meeting with IRA and AAR Insurance. AAR has agreed to settle my hospital bill. Thank you to every single person who stood with me. l appreciate you,” tweeted Mwangi. https://twitter.com/bonifacemwangi/status/1110907333104656385 AAR Insurance had refused to pay the bills, where Mwangi was operated to…

In August last year, the government through Johnstone Irungu, the director of crops in the Agriculture ministry announced that yield was projected to rise from 37 million bags to 40.9 million bags of maize. True to his word, it happened and now the discussion moved from a hungry nation to the price of a 90Kg bag. The government proposed Ksh2,300 per bag, which the farmers rejected. At the price of Ksh2,300, the government would have bought 2.5 million bags to its Strategic Food Reserve. After negotiations, the government raised the amount to Ksh2,500 but cleverly reduced the number of bags…

The Ugandan government owns only 0.1 percent of the national carrier, the Uganda Airlines, MPs have revealed. As if that is not enough, it has been revealed that the Ugandan government does not own the rights to the Uganda Airline name, as it has been patented by an undisclosed individual. The revelations were made amid approval of Ush280 billion (Ksh7.6 billion) supplementary budget for the purchase of the first two Bombardier planes from Canada for the airline. The plans to revive the carrier which has not been on operation were pioneered by President Yoweri Museveni who in 2016 said that…

A tussle is ensuing between Uchumi Supermarket and its creditors over Ksh3.6 billion it (Uchumi) owes to them. The retailer has given the creditors two options, either take 30 percent of what they owe it, or risk losing all their money. This means that the creditors are juggling between losing all their money, take Ksh1.2 billion and forfeit over Ksh2.4 billion or hold on to the liquidation case in court of the retailer. In court papers, Uchumi says that if creditors decide to go the liquidation way, the assets owned by the supermarket may be not enough to repay all…

Parliament majority leader Aden Duale has faulted Senate minority leader James Orengo’s plan to impeach Deputy President William Ruto, terming it as an idea dead on arrival. The Garissa township Mp says that Senator Orengo, who is a senior lawyer is either ignorant or is on a mission to mislead the public. “The process cannot start in the Senate where he sits! Under Article 145 of the Constitution as read together with Art.150, the process can only originate in the National Assembly, where he does not sit!” says Duale. Speaking during an event in Ugenya early this week, Orengo mentioned…

National Bank of Kenya (NBK) profits are set to slump by over 25 percent for the financial year ended December 2018. The bank has attributed the drop to higher loan impairment charges and restructuring costs. “(This is) primarily due to increased loan impairment charges beyond initial projections due to a revision of valuations and values recoverable from the non performing loan portfolio,” read a cautionary statement from the Nairobi Securities Exchange listed lender. The lender has been on a downward movement, even as it struggles with loan debts amounting to more than Ksh47.1 billion, part of which it might be…

Succession politics at the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI) have intensified even as the KNCCI’s President Kiprono Kittony term comes to an end. The politics have drawn two camps behind top candidates, Mr James Mureu and Richard Ngatia running for the top seat. Mureu who has been Kittony’s deputy launched his campaign ahead of the chamber’s  grassroots polls at WildWater Centre in Nyali Consitituncey, Mombasa county. Ngatia on the other hand is the  KNCCI Nairobi chairman Richard Ngatia and has been in intensive lobbying, at times referring to Mureu as a coward. Among those on Mureu’s camp include…

Members of the Parliamentary Committee on Tourism, Sports and Culture were on Monday forced to adjourn a meeting with Kenyatta International Conference CEO Nana Gecaga  after she showed up in a pair of jeans trousers and a t-shirt. According to Mwingi West MP Charles Nguna who is a member of the committee, Ms Gecaga appeared ill-prepared for the visit despite having been notified by the Clerk of the National Assembly two weeks prior to the visit “The members struggled to find their way into the building and to the CEO’s boardroom only to find her missing. They waited for about…