Author: Francis Muli

Kirinyaga Governor Ann Waiguru has been invited to deliver a public speech at Chatham House on July 4 about her perspectives on the successes and challenges of implementing devolution in Kenya. Waiguru will be the third Kenyan leader to deliver a public lecture at the institution since last year’s general election. In October 2017, Raila Odinga delivered a speech at the institution whereas President Kenyatta delivered a speech at Chatham in February this year. The event dubbed ‘Five Years of Devolution in Kenya: Towards Inclusion, Gender Equality and Accountable Governance’ will also see Natasha Kimani present findings from her research on gender…

The Cabinet Secretary For Interior Security and National Coordination has snubbed an invitation to appear before the joint Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture probing the sugar mess in the country, saying that he is officiating the ongoing 14th Summit of the Northern Corridor Integration Projects. Committee Chairman Kanini Kega issued the fresh invite to Matiangi insisting that the CS should face them to shed light on what security agencies have done so far, particularly after declaring that some of the sugar contained mercury. Read: Kagame, Museveni and Kiir In The Country For Regional Talks The probe on the sugar scandal by the…

President Uhuru Kenyatta is today set to host Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, Rwandan Counterpart Paul Kagame and a Special Envoy of President Salva Kiir of South Sudan for the 14th Summit of the Northern Corridor Integration Projects in Nairobi. The project is a multilateral development initiative established in 2013 to speed up development in the region (Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and South Sudan), particularly the improvement of infrastructure to ease the movement of people, goods and services in the region. “During the Nairobi meeting, the leaders are expected to review progress made in the implementation of resolutions reached at during the…

Muthurwa Estate and part of Marikiti market is set to be demolished next month to pave way for the construction of a new market and a road by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). The residents, led by Muthurwa Residents Welfare Association Chairman Mr Patrick Kamotho protested the planned demolition of their houses citing lack of transparency in the planned demolition. Kamotho argued that there were fishy deals to deny the residents compensation after the demolition of the houses, which would render them homeless and helpless. “The chief has come up with a new list in which none of those who will be…

Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University is recruiting farmers to rear crickets in a bid to counter the declining maize production in the country. Interested farmers will be trained on the process of rearing crickets from the start until they mature and afterwards the university will buy the insects from farmers at Ksh5,000 per kilogram, according to reports by Farm Biz Africa, a local agriculture magazine. Maize, the Kenya’s staple food, is recording a decline in production due to the fall of army worms and the lethal necrosis disease. Read: DP Ruto Wants NCPB And Other Agricultural Bodies Merged For Efficiency “Jaramogi…

ESET researchers have discovered a new family of Android RATs (Remote Administration Tools) abusing the Telegram protocol for command and control, and data exfiltration. The authors of the RATs have developed an app that can eavesdrop your phone. The malware has a wide array of spying and file exfiltration capabilities, including intercepting text messages and contacts, sending text messages and making calls, audio and screen recording, obtaining device location, and controlling the device’s settings. Attackers lure victims into downloading the RAT by spreading it under various attractive-sounding guises, via third-party app stores, social media and messaging apps. Sometimes the malware…

Reports have emerged that Kenya borrowed more than Ksh30 billion to buy weapons which contributed to a Ksh270 billion build-up in the country’s foreign debt load in the four months to February. A fresh report tabled in Parliament shows the additional loans were spent on purchase of military jets, expansion of the naval base, building of a second international runway as well as purchase of CT scans for the country’s health sector. The Treasury says it signed a Ksh203.2 billion international sovereign bond and nine new loans worth Ksh67.4 billion between November 1, 2017 and February 28, 2018. Topping the list…

A new study by the Financial Sector Deepening (FSD) Africa has revealed that poor timing was one of the prime reason government’s M-Akiba bond failed. M-Akiba was officially launched on June 30, 2017 to much fanfare and great hopes that the Kshs1 billion on offer would also sell out and even allowed for an initial Kshs3.8 billion to be sold. Over 300,000 people registered on the M-Akiba platform but only 5,988 purchased M-Akiba bonds during the official launch totaling to KShs247.75 million, only about a quarter of the KShs 1 billion on offer. This even included an extended time period to…

Vutaride taxi app has made its way into the East African taxi market, making it easier for taxi enthusiasts to experience cheaper, faster, reliable and safer rides as well as maximising incomes. As opposed to other apps, the new app will not require internet function to operate. Users will only be required to dial *401# and choose their preferred mode of ride. Launching the new app in Nairobi, the Managing Director Prof Mohamed Hussein Abdille hailed the new app, saying that it will be a game changer in the fast growing taxi market in East Africa. “Vutaride promises equal competitive…

Embattled Kenya Airways (KQ) has indicated oil price volatility as their biggest challenge, hence prompting price hedging. Sebastian Mikosz, the KQ CEO, said that they are already in talks with banks and other firms in the energy sector to finalise on the technical aspects of the process. The national carrier spent Ksh25 billion ($ 250 million), or about 30% of its operating costs on fuel last year. “The volatility of the oil price has been really tremendous. Addressing this is of utmost concern,” said Mikosz. Read: Tullow Oil To Use Ksh400 Billion To Actualise The Turkana Dream The airline had…

Tullow Oil, the company hired to mine Turkana oil in Lokichar will use at least Ksh110 billion ($1.1 billion) to construct the pipeline that will transport crude oil from Lokichar wells to Lamu. The oil company has hired UK based Wood Group to design the 800km (500-mile) pipeline. In addition, Ksh290 billion ($2.9 billion)will be needed for upstream operations, Tullow says. Tullow picked Australia’s Worley Parsons as engineers for its oil blocks. A final investment decision on the upstream and pipeline plans is expected in 2019. Upon completion, the oil will be stored in the Kenya Petroleum Oil Refinery storage tanks, which are being…

Businessmen Evans Gor Semelang’o and Paul Gathecha Muhoho together with PetroKenya Oil Company have written to the Standard Newspaper demanding an apology for articles published implicating them of being recipients of the NYS scandal proceeds. In the letter obtained by Kahawa Tungu, the two say that the articles published on June 13 and June 16 “were not proceeded by any attempt to verify the accuracy thereof”. “You have made defamatory allegations in relations to, and cast aspersions against, our said clients; by alleging expressly and by innuendo, that our clients have, improperly and/or otherwise directly, or in collusion with others,…

The main contraband sugar suspect Mr Jaswant Rai has said that he is building a Ksh5 billion factory/storage facility in Kenya to advance his business agenda in the sugar industry. In an interview with a local television station, the West Kenya Sugar chairman has also exonerated himself of the allegations labeled against him. The tycoon is accused of importing several tonnes of the poisonous contraband sugar in the country with his brand, the Kabras Sugar. “More than a million tonnes of sugar have been imported, of which mine are 185,000 tonnes. This is what I produce locally using local sugarcane.…

Sportpesa has become an household name in the world of betting in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, South Africa and even in the United Kingdom. However, its owners still remain in the background. Ronald Karauri, the CEO is the commonly known shareholder of the betting firm. He however owns only 6%, ranking number three among the biggest Kenya shareholders and number five generally. Read: Brand Kenya Honoured Agreement, KRU Mismanaging Rugby In Kenya Out of the ten known shareholders for Sportpesa, there are five Kenyan shareholders having a cumulative of 48% of the shares. There are three Bulgarians with 26% of the…

Instagram has launched IGTV, a new app for watching long-form, vertical video from your favoorite Instagram creators as it hit one billion monthly active users since its launch in 2010. The platform had 800 million users in September last year. The new channel will be accessible to users from within the Instagram app or a new  stand-alone IGTV app. According to Kevin Systrom, Co-Founder & CEO of Instagram, IGTV will be accessible on both Android and iOS platforms. Read: Lawyers And Accountants Develop Platform To Help Citizens File Returns “IGTV will be rolling out globally over the next few weeks on Android and iOS. IGTV is…