Author: Opinion

A standard seven pupil has committed suicide after his mother accused him of stealing rice. The 13-year old is reported to have hung himself using a rope in his uncle’s house. Speaking on the unfortunate incident that happened in Rurii Village, Mwea West in Kirinyaga County, Wamumu chief Godfrey Mithamo, confirmed the death, expressing disappointment over the happenings. According to the boy’s aunt, Sylvia Wangui, the boy had been warned by the mother against following a certain group of boys in their area. It is claimed that the boys had been accused of stealing villagers’ rice from their homes. Ms…

Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA)’s takeover bid has since its inception taken several twists and turns, with prominent leaders raising alarm over the plan citing malicious intent behind it. Even as the MPs are yet to approve the takeover proposal, it has emerged that one of the things the takeover seeks to achieve is the construction of private jets and VIP terminals. According to a document seen by Nation, Kenya Airways plans to invest in the project as a way of satisfying the market needs and enlarge the functionalities at JKIA. In the proposal presented to parliament pending their approval…

Police have arrested a man in Embakasi South over voter bribery allegations during the ongoing by-election. The individual, whose name is yet to be revealed, was arrested in Kware area in pipeline. Reports allege that he is allied to Wiper aspirant Julius Mawathe. His arrest followed complains from the ODM party, over the voter bribery claims. ODM’s candidate Irshad Sumra had by Friday mid-day lamented over the credibility of the voting system accusing his main opponent, Mawathe, of trying to sabotage the process. It is however claimed that the voter turnout is low as some polling stations registered less than…

The National Treasury is reported to have secured a Ksh20 billion loan to help Kenya Airways repay another loan it acquired from African Export-Import Bank (Afrexim). The pending loan owed to Afrexim was secured two years ago. In a report presented to Parliament by the treasury, the new loan is stated to have been borrowed in June last year. The Ksh20 billion loan has been borrowed from Eastern and Southern Africa Trade and Development Bank (TDB) and will replace a similar debt owed to Afrexim that is due. Read: Speaker Justin Muturi Stops PIC From Investigating Kenya Airways-JKIA Take Over…

Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) has sent its acting chief executive officer (CEO) Thomas Mutie on terminal leave. KNH announced that the leave is intended to pave way for the appointment of a substantive CEO to the position. Speaking on the issue, Health CS Sicily Kariuki noted that despite Mr Mutie taking the leave, the ministry cannot immediately appoint a substantive CEO as a dispute touching on the matter is in court. CS Kariuki noted: “We are finalizing the process of his (Thomas Mutie) terminal leave but we still have to look for someone to do it in acting capacity but…

Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has announced that they have stopped two concealed high-end vehicles reported to have been stolen from London, United Kingdom. According to KRA, the Range Rover Sport and BMW X5 were brought into the country through he Mombasa Port. In a statement issued on Friday, KRA noted that the two vehicles had been sealed in a 40-foot container on February 19,2019 abroad MV, Maersk Brooklyn, which was from the UK. Their inspection came in after they had received an intelligence of the suspected stolen vehicles. Speaking on the surprising turn of events, KRA Customs officer Kelvin Safari…

Principal Magistrate Douglas Ogoti has withdrawn from the ongoing case against Samburu Governor Moses Lenolkulal over Ksh84 million. The magistrate recused himself from the case’s proceedings on Thursday after the suspects accused him of bias. According to the governor’s lawyers, the Magistrate’s move to slap Lenolkulal with Ksh100 million bail or Ksh150 million bond and a surety of the same amount, prejudged him. Announcing his withdrawal from the case, Magistrate Ogoti noted that he would not continue hearing the case despite his conscience being clear. Ogoti further noted that he has deferred the case to magistrate Lawrence Mugambi. The judge…

Vodacom Tanzania has been accused of causing Tsh11billion loss to the government over fraudulent use of network facilities. In a statement issued to newsrooms, the telecommunication network noted that its Managing Director Hisham Hendi and other employees, who were arrested on Tuesday, have been charged with committing economic crimes. However, they stated that the company has already filed a bail application for the arrested officials. “A bail application for the individuals in police custody will be heard in the next few days,” the statement read. The company also revealed that they had appointed South African Jacques Marais as acting managing…

OLX businesses in Kenya, Ghana, Tanzania, and Uganda have been sold off to Jiji (Genesis) as Naspers exits sub-Saharan Africa. This was after OLX had closed its African operations in 2014, on claims that they were making massive losses. With the selloff of the branches in the four countries, OLX has centralized its operations in South Africa at the Naspers headquarters. Consequently, Jiji is only noted to be acquiring OLX’s users and a very small operation in South Africa. Speaking on the new ownership, Jiji’s CEO and co-founder Anton Volyansky stated: “Users will always come first for us. We warmly…

Migori Governor Okoth Obado has announced that he will skip an event in Awendo, set to be presided over by Opposition leader Raila Odinga. Speaking on his snub, Obado noted that he will not be able to attend the groundbreaking of the Awendo Kenya Medical Training College,citing court restrictions. He noted that the restriction stipulated by the court during his release from remand, limits his movement. During a presser on Thursday, Obado stated: “I would have wished to join Raila Odinga and the people of Awendo in the commissioning of the KMTC… unfortunately the orders given by the court in…

President Uhuru Kenyatta has asked Members of Parliament (MPs) to pass Ksh10 billion funds for victims of historical injustices. Addressing MPs during the State of the Nation address, Uhuru asked the legislators to pass the fund aimed at healing wounds caused by ethnic-related violence. “Against this background I reaffirm a commitment previously made to this House of designating Ksh10 billion to heal the wounds of historical grievance which have long poisoned by our politics and strained communal relations,” Uhuru stated. He affirmed that the funds will be used to construct heritage sites across the country that will preserve the history…

Samburu Governor Moses Lenolkulal has been released from the Industrial Area Remand Prison after paying a cash bail of 110 million. The county boss managed to settle the cash bail after High Court Judge Mumbi Ngugi reduced his bail terms from the initial Ksh100 million to Ksh 10 million on Wednesday. In her ruling, Justice Ngugi also reduced Lenolkulal’s bond from Ksh150 million to Ksh30 million with a surety of a similar amount. This was after Governor Lenolkulal filed an application through his lawyer to have the initial bail terms issued by Anti-Corruption Court Chief Magistrate Douglas Ogoti reviewed. Read:…

The High Court of Kenya has temporarily suspended the ban on non-woven bags. In a ruling delivered on Thursday morning, the court noted that the ban on the carrier bags has been suspended pending the hearing of an application filed in court by the Importers and Small Traders Association. According to the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA), the ban was to take effect from April 1, 2019. At the time, NEMA’s Director General Geoffrey Wahungu had vowed to partner with relevant government agencies to arrest importers, producers and consumers of the popular bags sold in almost every corner streets across…

United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has announced that Kenya will experience prolonged hot days ahead. According to the Famine Early Warning Systems Networks (FewsNet) of the American agency, the long rains normally experienced in Kenya between March and May have been prolonged by the tropical cyclone, Idai. The agency noted that the cyclone redirected moisture away from the East African region hence the delayed rains. FewsNet however affirmed that above average rains should be anticipated from May through August in uni-modal, surplus-producing areas of Western Kenya and the Rift Valley. According to Kenya Food Security Steering Group, over…

Media personality and now businessman Johnson Mwakazi may appear to have always had his life on a straight and narrow, prior to his disappearance from our screens. The former Citizen TV anchor, always has his social media platforms filled with inspirational and religious quotes, and for most of his followers, he is a clear depiction of what a walk of faith looks like. However, speaking to a local daily, Mwakazi divulged a few bombshell revelations about his struggle with pornography and how peer influence affected him. The celebrated voice-over artist noted that he was introduced into pornography by a friend.…