Author: Francis Muli

Civil servants neglecting their duties have been put on notice by Interior Cabinet Secretary Dr Fred Matiang’i. Speaking while in Lamu, Matiang’i said that most of the services that have stalled in the grassroots is due to lazy public servants neglecting what they are employed to do. “It has touched me so much,” he said, referring to a case where a young girl was defiled but no action was taken against the perpetrator despite the mother reporting. “I told this OCS that I did not come here to listen to stories. If it has been reported, arrest the suspect and…

The proposed Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) takeover by Kenya Airways (KQ) did not involve the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA), auditor general Edward Ouko has said. KAA is the body tasked with managing all the country’s airports and airstrips, and should be in the forefront in any airport/airstrip takeover bid. In an audit report tabled in parliament yesterday, the office of the auditor general says that it was not furnished with important documents in the highly criticised takeover deal. “There is no evidence that KAA ever prepared and submitted any proposal to the board. We have not been presented with…

Former Brazil President Michel Temer was arrested today in the ongoing graft probe in the country. The 78-year-old Temer was arrested in Sao Paulo by police, and is among the senior-most politicians and corporate leaders who have been arrested so far in the probe. The ex-president is facing charges of money laundering at a currency exchange business at a petrol station in Brasilia, now dubbed ‘operation car wash’. Others who have been arrested so far include former mines and energy minister Moreira Franco who was detained alongside six others. Read: CMA To Retain Ksh458 Million ‘Income’ For Insider Trading Suspects…

Kiambu members of county assembly (MCAs) today turned the chambers into an arena, exchanging blows over Ksh1.2 billion supplementary budget. Issues arose over a proposal to reconstitute the Finance Committee and increase the county’s recurrent expenditure by Ksh.1.2 billion in the 2019 supplementary budget. The speaker Stephen Ndichu was forced to adjourn the session as MCAs allied to Governor Ferdinand Waititu engaged opposition MCAs, as assembly orderlies tried to calm the situation. Following the standoff four MCAs representing Ndenderu, Sigona, Ndeiya and Ikinu were suspended for three house sittings. Read: Siaya CEC Joseph Warega Resigns Over Disagreements With Governor Rasanga…

Telkom has announced that it is setting up a fibre loop for Mombasa in an expansion move of it’s data business. The 1,000 kilometre loop will add to Telkom’s already existing network of 10 kilometres in the country. Announcing the development, Telkom CEO Mugo Kibati said that the firm intends to set up similar fibre loops in all large towns within the country “to meet the growing demand for broadband by businesses, homes and individuals”. “These metro loops will facilitate access to the internet, which plays an important role in the lives of individuals and businesses,” said Mr Kibati. Currently,…

Tech giant Google was on Wednesday fined 1.5 billion euros (Ksh171 billion) for antitrust violations in the online advertising market by the European Union. This is the third time Google is facing hefty by the body since 2017, following violation of market regulations. The total fine now amounts to almost Ksh930 billion, which it has appealed and is likely to appeal the latest. According to the regulators, Google had violated antitrust rules by imposing unfair terms on companies that used its search bar on their websites in Europe. New York Times reports that Europe’s regulatory approach was once criticized as…

Simba Cement company Ltd is set to acquire Cemtech Ltd, following approvals by the Competition Authority of Kenya (CAK). Simba, a subsidiary of Devki Group of Companies will acquire 100 percent of the business and assets of Cemtech owned by Indian Sanghi Group. The amount involved in the transaction is yet to be revealed. “We are still negotiating with Cemtech and we hope to close the deal soon. We are eager to venture into West Pokot to change its perception and the lives of its people for the better,” said Narendra Raval, founder and chairman of Devki Group. The merger…

Ugenya Constituency residents might not see development from the county government of Siaya as from April 5, if they do not vote in ODM candidate Chris Karan as a member of parliament in the by-election. This was announced by Siaya Governor Cornell Rasanga who spoke at Bar Denge even as campaigns intensify. ODM’s Karan is facing stiff competition from former MP David Ochieng of the MDG party, who successfully challenged Karan’s 2017 election in court. “You risk losing county goodies if you don’t vote for ODM candidate Chris Karan,” Rasanga said. Other candidates in the race include Daniel Juma of…

International flights in Tanzania will now be able to fly directly to Europe from Mwanza International Airport, the government of Tanzania has announced. In Tanzania, the are three airports with regular passenger flights; Julius Nyerere International Airport (Dar-es-Salaam), Kilimanjaro International Airport and Abeid Amani Karume Internatioanal Airport in Zanzibar. Mwanza International could now be the fourth one. According to the Minister of Works, Transport and Communication in Tanzania Mr Isaac Kamwelwe, the move is aimed at improving air transport in the country, whose carrier, Airline Tanzania Company Ltd (ATCL), has been experiencing headwinds. The country’s airline has been ailing without…

The Civil Society has condemned the attack on institutions charged fighting corruption by a section of political leaders, saying that the war on corruption should not be piliticised. In a statement, the Civil Society Reference Group (CSRG) said that attacks directed at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) could sabotage the fight against corruption. “Allegations of corruption surrounding the two dams (Arror and Kimwarer) are not the first claim of corruption in which the DCI has been involved in investigating. There are many other cases in which suspects have been arraigned in court that have had active involvement and collaboration…

Police from the Flying Squad department have nabbed Ksh2 billion in a safe container at Barclays Bank, Queens Way Branch. The police are yet to issue an official announcement concerning the development. The officers are said to have camped at the bank for hours, investigating how the money got there, which Kahawa Tungu is informed that it was kept for a top politician. During today’s raid, the officers accompanied by sleuths from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations trailed three suspects to the bank. The politician is yet to be named publicly by the police. Three people; one foreigner and two…

Over 400 dairy farmers are up in arms protesting plans by the Kenya Dairy Board (KDB) to 100 percent regulate the dairy the industry in Kenya. The farmers feel that the plan is hatched and set to benefit one player, the Brookside industry associated with the first family. The plan, inscribed in the Dairy Regulations 2019, is set to criminalise the sale of milk directly from farmers to consumers. The regulations require that farmers sell their milk to recognised processors before it is distributed to the consumer. “Dairy Regulations 2019 will force him (farmer) to take his milk to a…

Kenya Reinsurance Corporation Limited (Kenya Re) will have its profits dipping by over 25 percent, as compared to 2017 earnings. Issuing a profit warning to shareholders, company secretary Charles Kariuki attributed the slump to high claims, forex losses due to currency devaluations in some markets where it operates, an unexpected reduction in income from associate and impairment on the asset held for sale. “Based on the preliminary assessment of the unaudited accounts, the net earnings of the corporation for the financial year ended December 31, 2018, are likely to be more than 25 percent lower than those reported for the…

The Consumers Federation of Kenya (Cofek) has said that it will appeal a High Court decision that declared the interest rate capping laws unconstitutional. The consumer body faulted the judgement terming it as grossly defective, suspect and one that raises serious integrity questions on the part of Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) and Kenya Bankers Association (KBA). “We intend to appeal to the Court of Appeal against the said judgment to the extent  that the decision by the superior Court found provisions in the Act to be vague imprecise, ambiguous indefinite  and its declaration that Section 33B (1) and (2) of…

Marsabit and Samburu counties have signed a peace agreement to end a long-standing conflict that existed between communities of the two counties. Speaking at the Sportsman’s Arms Hotel in Laikipia County, the Cabinet Secretary for Interior and Coordination of National Government, Dr Fred Matiang’i said that the deal would ensure that the government now focuses on other issues. He added that these regions had great economic potential that should be exploited. Dr Matiang’i gave a stern warning to anyone who’ll be caught inciting people to take up arms against each other especially in instances when undertones of political incitement are…