Author: Francis Muli

The National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC)has established a special unit that is tasked with monitoring and deterring hate speech on social media ahead of the 2022 polls. The Commission’s Vice-chair Wambui Nyutu said that the unit would trace individuals that use various social media platforms to spread hatred. Speaking during a sensitization forum among young people in Kirinyaga, “We have purchased gadgets to track down those who might be using fake accounts to spread hate on social media as the country prepares for elections,” Nyutu said. Read: No Plans to Shutdown Internet in 2022 Polls over Hate Speech- CS…

Following a series of exposés on suspected “wash wash” individuals in Kenya, Edgar Obare has had his Instagram account deleted. The account was deleted on Monday, August 30, 2021 days after he shared a series of screenshot messages on his Instagram stories, revealing how the web of “wash wash” criminals operate. “Wash Wash” is a term that refers to individuals who earn money through illegal activities and later use unscrupulous means to “clean” the money. Read: Blogger Edgar Obare Exposes Wash Wash Cartels Who Worked With Kevin Omwenga Most of the people who spoke in the exposé claimed to have been…

Kenya Power demanded Ksh2.8 billion from businessman Narendra Raval to connect his clinker factory in Emali with electricity, it has emerged. According to reports by the Daily Nation, the connection would have given Kenya Power Ksh200 million every month in power consumption bill. Raval felt that the connection bill was too much, and resorted to constructing his own power plant at a fraction of Kenya Power’s connection cost. He says that the power plant would provide cheaper power compared to Kenya Power’s, and proved to be more reliable. “I now produce 28 megawatts of power and I plan to generate…

A man in Mombasa has moved to court over the fraudulent sale of his matrimonial home. Joel Kibunja is sueing his ex-wife Margaret Wothaya for forging his signature to facilitate the sale of the Sh10 million home to her friend Sarah Wanjiru Njiri. The house, which is located at Miritini in Mombasa was sold to Njiri in 2010. Kibunja said he was taken aback after he received a letter from Njiri asking him to start paying rent for the house. “I examined the signatures contained in the transfer lease and the sublease used in selling the property and established it…

Public universities lecturers’ strike that was set to begin on Monday, August 30, 2021, has been suspended to allow for negotiations between the Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) and the Ministry of Education. Announcing the move, UASU Secretary-General Constantine Wasonga advised members of UASU to continue with their jobs even as the union chatted a way forward with the government. UASU had issued a strike notice a week ago protesting a proposed implementation of the Ksh8.8 billion pay deal by the  Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC). Read: UASU Accuses Council Of Discriminating Against Prof Ayiro, Wants Him Confirmed As VC Wasonga…

The construction of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) was set to cost Ksh55 billion from Mombasa to Malaba, businessman Jimmy Wanjigi has revealed. Speaking to Citizen TV on Sunday night, Wanjigi revealed that he was the SGR mastermind alongside the China Road and Bridge Corporation. The project was to be done and operated as a private entity with minimal or no government involvement, Wanjigi said. “SGR was a project birthed by me in 2008 alongside China Road and Bridge Corporation. The intention was that the rail was a private project, with nothing to do with the government. The government was…

Five people have died in an accident in Londiani along the Kericho-Nakuru highway, while five others are in critical condition. In the accident that happened on Sunday, August 29, 2020, a 14-seater matatu rolled several times before landing in a ditch after a tyre burst. “The accident occurred as a result of a tyre burst with the matatu veering off the road and rolling before landing in a ditch,” said Mr Joseph Mutungi, the Kipkelion East Sub County Police Commander. Read: Nine Dead Following Accident at Construction Site in Hurlingham The five who were critically injured were rushed to Kericho County…

A Kenyan woman has been named the winner of BBC’s International Podcast competition which was launched earlier this year. Namulanta Kombo emerged as the winner for writing touching letters to her daughter. The competition attracted more than 1,000 entries from no-broadcast and podcast professionals from Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa. Kombo’s inspiration to enter the competition stemmed from a desire to give her five year old daughter a different life after she identified missing gaps in her own life experience. “One of the things I would love for her to know would be to just be the best version of…

A content creator has accused KTN of stealing and airing a show he pitched to them without his consent or license. Evans Wamwoyo Wafula said the station is infringing on his copyright by airing the programme dubbed ‘The Diplomat’ Wafula said he had registered the show with the Kenya Copyright Board, giving him ownership of the copyrights of an audiovisual programme going by the name ‘The Diplomatic Front’ Wafula pitched the show idea to KTN in October 2019. The ‘Diplomatic Front’ was to feature diplomats promoting various investment opportunities in the countries they are in. The idea was to assist…

Popular fast food operator, Sonford fish and chips went up in flames late last night during curfew hours. Witnesses at the scene reported that the fire started at around 10 pm. The fast food, which is located along Moi Avenue at the Nairobi CBD is one of the longest serving eateries at the heart of town. Sonford is known for its chips and chicken, an affordable delicacy for anyone visiting the Central Business District. Prior to the curfew, Sonford operated 24 hours a day, attracting revellers from all parts of the city. It was a popular stop-over for many partygoers…

Twitter has started rolling out Ticketed spaces, allowing hosts to monetize content on the site. The feature will allow Spaces’ hosts to sell tickets to interested audience. “We want to help people creating cool Spaces make $$$. today, some Hosts will be able create Ticketed Spaces!,” Twitter said. The social media network first announced in June that it was working on the Ticketed Spaces feature to allow hosts make some money from the experiences they create through their discussions on the platform. “Hosts are working hard to create unique & exclusive live audio experiences (and we learned it’s not easy!)…

Telkom Kenya is investing in a submarine fibre optic cable to complement the already existing undersea network. This will be the sixth cable forming the network that Telkom has a stake in, connecting Kenya to the rest of the world. This particular one is expected to connect Kenya to Asia and Europe. Telkom is the local partner for chinese-owned cable International network, PEACE (Pakistan and East Africa Connecting to Europe), a subsidiary of Chengtong Group. Read: Top Zambian Internet Provider Paratus Launches 100GB Metro Fibre Ring “When complete, the high-speed Peace cable system will offer the shortest routes from China…

National carrier Kenya Airways’ (KQ) accumulated losses over the years have hit Ksh127 billion, following a six-month loss of Ksh11.5 billion announced yesterday. The loss was 19.6 percent lower as compared to a wider loss of Ksh.14.4 billion last year. KQ’s total operating costs were reduced by 10.4 percent to Ksh34.6 billion from Ksh38.6 billion, while Ksh784 million was saved in fuel costs from reduced capacity deployment. Negotiations on fleet ownership saw the carrier save Ksh1.5 billion while net financing costs fell by Ksh1.6 billion. Read: KQ to Offer Training to Aspiring Drone Operators The carrier saved Ksh155 million from its…

Bernhard Ten Brinke, an international rally driver who lost Ksh171 million to suspected gold scammers in Kenya now wants to be enjoined in an ongoing case to recover his money. Through his two companies, Three Gold BV and  Bernhard ten Brinke Holding BV, Brinke was planning to buy gold worth Ksh2.1 billion from Kenyan company, Global Freight Management Limited owned by George Fundu. Brinke’s representatives in Kenya, Frank Wijnen and Ewout Haanstra signed a deal with Global Freight for the supply of 500kgs of gold on December 21, 2020. The money was wired to Ochieng’ Opiyo & Company Advocates’ account…

The Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) has given fintech firm Pesapal, the green light to operate as a payment service provider. The approval will see Pesapal offer its services as a payment gateway in accordance with the National Payment System (NPS) Act, 2011, and NPS Regulations 2014. Following the authorization,  Pesapal issued a statement, saying they can now offer digital e-commerce services. Read: Pesapal Integrates Visa On Mobile To Its Payment Processing Platform “We are delighted to have this authorization by the CBK. We will continue to enable payments for merchants and consumers,” Pesapal CEO Mark Mwongela said. Pesapal has…