Author: Francis Muli

The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) is pursuing a Jubilee Party campaign financier over tax row that involves proceeds from government tenders. Mary Iambi Mungai is said to have amassed billions from government tenders, including ones issued by the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (Kemsa) and even the military. Ms Mungai had been summoned by KRA to explain why she has not paid tax for the multi-billion tenders she has done in the last few years. Ms Mungai is a member of Friend of Jubilee Foundation, a body that was instrumental in raising campaign funds for Jubilee Party ahead of the 2017…

The Wiper, Amani National Congress (ANC) Ford Kenya parties are planning to officially withdraw from the National Super Alliance (NASA) after fallout with the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) ANC party leader Musalia Mudavadi revealed that the three coalition partners are already formulating paperwork that will see the end to NASA coalition. The coalition agreement stipulates that NASA can only cease to exist if three partners decide to pull out. “It is a process and something will soon happen. There are procedural issues we have to look at before the final decision is made. Obviously people are working behind the scene…

In the last 24 hours, Kenya recorded 185 positive cases of Covid-19 from a sample size of 2,047. This brings the total number of confirmed cases to 186,053 and the positivity rate to 9 percent. The total number of samples tested now stands at 1,983,998. On a positive note, 1,186 people recovered from the virus in the period, bringing the total number of recoveries to 128,811. 15 people have succumbed to the virus, bringing the total number of fatalities to 3,690. Read: Covid-19 Fourth Wave To Peak In Mid July – KEMRI Nairobi county leads with the highest number of…

Global Partnership for Ethiopia (GPE), the consortium used by Safaricom and Vodacom to enter Ethiopian Market, has appointed Anwar Soussa as the Managing Director. Soussa becomes the first managing director for GPE effective July 1, 2021, following a licence approval by Ethiopian government to enter the Ethiopian market. Anwar is currently the Managing Director of Vodacom DRC and also serves as the Chairperson of Vodacash (M-Pesa), a position he has held since 2017. Safaricom won the bid to enter Ethiopian market under GPE in May, beating MTN Group Limited, which is headquarted in Johannesburg, South Africa. Read: Uhuru Sings Praises For…

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos officially stepped down from his position on Monday and handed over to the immediate Chief of Amazon’s cloud computing services Andy Jassy. The 57-year-old Mogul will henceforth shift his focus to “new products and early initiatives” as he handles a number of personal projects. One of the immediate projects Bezos will devote his time to is the launch of his private spaceflight company, Blue Origin. Bezos said the transition will give him time to focus on “the Day 1 Fund, the Bezos Earth Fund, Blue Origin, The Washington Post, and my other passions.” Bezos will transition…

Close to two years after his death on October 23, 2017, Dr Wilson Muchiri’s bank account held at Absa Bank Kenya recorded suspicious activities between April and May 2019, in what resulted to Ksh18 million withdrawals allegedly authorised by Dr Muchiri himself. The withdrawals were done through bankers cheques allegedly signed by Dr Muchiri, and authorised by senior bank officers, two of whom were shown the door after the fraud was discovered. It is alleged that the fraudsters colluded with bank officials to sweep the account clean, with two officials at one time authorising the withdrawal of over Ksh5.2 million.…

Google has deleted nine malicious apps from its Play store after it was established that they were being used to steal personal data from Facebook. The apps reportedly appeared normal and required users to log in using their Facebook accounts. This is common, but in this case, the apps contain trojan malware which is installed right after the users log into their accounts. The nine apps have cumulatively garnered more than 5.8 million downloads. Although designed to steal Facebook passwords, the report says that the attackers could have easily changed the trojan’s settings and commanded them to load the web…

At least 359 companies and individuals have been reported to the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) for evading taxes worth over Ksh2.1 billion in the last six months. The tax evasion cases amounting to Ksh2.1 billion have been reported through KRA’s online portal, which promises whistleblowers cash rewards for reporting tax cheats. Whistleblowers are entitled to a five per cent of money or assets recovered from tax cheats or Ksh2 million, whichever is lower. Whistleblowers also enjoy immunity from civil or criminal liability for disclosing confidential information in addition to being protected from reprisal. “Once we receive the information we take…

Airtel Kenya has announced an increase its headline voice tariff to Ksh2 plus taxes which will equate to Ksh2.78 per minute. In a statement, Airtel managing director Prasanta Das Sarma said the move was as a result of government’s amendment to the Finance Bill. The amendment saw the excise duty on telephone and internet services revised from 15 percent to 20 percent, effective July 1, 2021. “Airtel Kenya has ensured that prices of all data and voice bundles remain unchanged.  Hence, there will be no changes to the Amazing, Unliminet and Tubonge bundles,” said Prasanta Das Sarma. Read: Safaricom, M-Gas Extend…

The Commission for University Education (CUE) has warned universities against turning to professional bodies for courses accreditation against the law. In a circular to vice-chancellors and college principals dated June 23, CUE CEO Prof Mwenda Ntarangwi said that some professional bodies have continued to purport to accredit/approve academic programmes in universities despite the High Court prohibiting the same in June 2020. “Several universities have called and others written to the Commission seeking for direction in this matter. Commission forwarded the judgement to all universities vide a letter dated 13th August 2020. It was the Commission’s expectation that universities would have…

A total of 1,473,869 Covid-19 vaccine doses have been administered across the country as of July 4, 2021, the Ministry of Health has said. Of the doses, the total first doses are 1,017,485 while the second doses are 456,384. The uptake of the second dose among those who received their first dose is at 44.9 percent with the majority being males at 55 percent while females are at 45 percent. The proportion of adults fully vaccinated is 1.76 percent. The uptake of the second dose by priority groups includes those aged 58 years and above at 141,730, health workers at…

Several students from arid and semi-arid areas have not applied for university placements, the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Services (KUCCPS) has said. Most of the students think that form four is the end of education, according to KUCCPS which released a statement on Sunday even as the period of second revision comes to a close. “The most affected counties include Mandera, Garissa, Wajir, Isiolo, Turkana, Marsabit, West Pokot, Lamu and Kilifi counties, and might be a setback to the government’s education-for-all desire,” said KUCCPS chief executive Dr Mercy Wahome. KUCCPS noted that students who even qualified for placement…

The National Super Alliance (NASA) could be back before the 2022 General Elections, Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) chairman John Mbadi has revealed. Speaking over the weekend at Ongalo Primary School in Suba South Constituency, Mbadi said that ODM is in talks with Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka, Moses Wetangula (FORD-K), and Musalia Mudavadi (ANC) to revive NASA. The four parties unsuccessfully fronted Raila Odinga as their Presidential candidate in 2017, with Kalonzo Musyoka as the running mate. However, the coalition disintegrated in March 2018, following the handshake between President Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila Odinga. Read: ODM Party Waives Membership Fees as…

The government has recorded an extra Ksh37.4 billion from the sale of secondary bonds in June. The total amount gained in the month of June from the sale of treasury bonds now amounts to Ksh57.1 billion after raising an initial Ksh19.7 billion. The secondary issue was however undersubscribed, with investors bidding for bonds worth Ksh38.5 billion against an advertised Ksh50 billion. The treasury now seeks to raise Ksh60 billion from the primary issue in July, which started selling earlier. Read: CBK Launches Mobile-based Platform For T-bills, T-bonds The Central Bank Bank (CBK) allocated yields of 13.261 per cent and 12.498 per…

The Covid-19 pandemic rages on for the second year, and its effects are far from over. Kenya and other African countries have long benefitted from the tourism sector. However, since last year, the country has seen less footfall as travel advisories and lock downs rule the air spaces. Tourists in Western countries have however found a way around the pandemic, using tech to immerse themselves right in the heart of the Safari experience in Kenya, South Africa, Botswana and Tanzania. A new attraction dubbed “Illuminarium” uses visual experiences combined with techniques used in traditional motion picture production and virtual…