Author: KahawaTungu Reporter

President William Ruto joined those mourning the death of teacher, writer, playwright, and public intellectual, Prof Ngugi wa Thiong’o. He said Thursday the towering giant of Kenyan letters has put down his pen for the final time. “Always courageous, he made an indelible impact on how we think about our independence, social justice as well as the uses and abuses of political and economic power.” “In his bold and creative career, Prof Thiong’o showed us how to make contributions that cannot be ignored and speak in ways that both supporters and opponents cannot ignore,” said Ruto. He added his patriotism…

A 22-year-old man is on the run over the murder of a six-year-old boy in Kiminini, Trans Nzoia County. The incident happened in Stofa Farm area, police said of the May 28 tragedy. The assailant is a step-brother of the deceased, police said. The motive of the incident is yet to be known. Police said the assailant used a hoe stick to hit the boy killing him at the scene. His mother tried to intervene after being alerted but it was too late. The boy died while being rushed to the hospital, police said adding the hunt on the suspect…

Billionaire Elon Musk has said his time leading President Donald Trump’s cost-cutting task force is coming “to an end”. In a post on his social media platform X, Musk thanked Trump for the opportunity to help run the Department of Government Efficiency – known as Doge. He was designated as a “special government employee” – allowing him to work a federal job for 130 days each year. Measured from Trump’s inauguration on 20 January, he would hit that limit towards the end of May. Musk’s exit comes after he criticised Trump’s “big, beautiful” budget bill – the legislative centrepiece of…

President Donald Trump’s administration says it will “aggressively” revoke the visas of Chinese students studying in the US. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement the move would include “those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields”. Criteria will also be revised to “enhance scrutiny” of future visa applicants from China and Hong Kong, Rubio added. Relations between Beijing and Washington have plummeted in recent months as a tit-for-tat trade war erupted between the two superpowers sparked by Trump’s tariffs. On Monday, Rubio, who is America’s top diplomat, ordered US embassies around the…

AI tools developed by Elon Musk’s xAI are to be incorporated into the messaging service, Telegram. Announcing the deal, Telegram boss Pavel Durov said it would see his firm distribute the AI assistant, Grok, to Telegram’s “billion+ users and integrate it into its apps”. Mr Durov said the arrangement – which is due to last a year – would see his company receive $300m (£223m) in cash and equity from xAI, plus 50% of revenue from xAI subscriptions sold via Telegram. “Together, we win!”, he posted on social media. It follows Meta incorporating an AI service into its messaging service,…

US President Donald Trump has appeared to set a two-week deadline for Vladimir Putin, threatening a different response if the Russian counterpart was still stringing him along. As the Kremlin escalated its attacks on Ukraine, Trump was asked in the Oval Office on Wednesday if he thought Putin wanted to end the war. “I can’t tell you that, but I’ll let you know in about two weeks,” Trump told reporters, the latest amid a string of critical public remarks made by Trump about Putin. Since Sunday, Trump has written multiple posts on social media saying that Putin has gone “absolutely…

During his imprisonment, Kenyan author Ngugi wa Thiong’o decided he would never write in English again, a defiant move that helped put literature in African languages firmly on the map. Ngugi died at the age of 87 on Wednesday, his daughter announced on Facebook. “It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of our dad, Ngugi wa Thiong’o this Wednesday morning,” wrote Wanjiku Wa Ngugi. “He lived a full life, fought a good fight.” Widely regarded as East Africa’s most influential writer, Ngugi sought to forge a body of literature reflecting the land and people from which…

Futures surged Wednesday night as a federal court knocked down President Donald Trump’s “reciprocal” tariffs. Solid earnings from artificial intelligence heavyweight Nvidia also buoyed the market. Futures tied to the S&P 500 rose 1.6%, while Nasdaq 100 futures gained 2%. Dow futures added 511 points, or 1.2%. On Wednesday night, the U.S. Court of International Trade ruled that Trump overstepped his authority when he imposed his “reciprocal” tariffs. The judges ordered that the challenged tariff orders be vacated. The April 2 announcement of Trump’s duties, the president’s constantly changing approach toward trade policy, as well as inflation fears fueled by…

President William Ruto Wednesday called on militaries in Africa to forge closer cooperation and partnerships to deal with security risks facing the continent. He said closer ties between African defence institutions will help support peace operations and prepare the continent for the emerging threats of the 21st Century. Delivering the keynote speech at the 2025 African Chiefs of Defence Conference in Nairobi on Wednesday, Ruto said: “When one country or region falters, the impact ripples across borders, affecting livelihoods, economies and the promise of development.” “True security in Africa, therefore, must be continental in ambition and collaborative in execution.” This…

Popular Mugithi singer Samuel Muchoki Ndirangu, known to many as Samidoh was transferred to the Anti-Stock Theft Unit (ASTU) headquarters in Gilgil following a controversial performance deemed derogatory. This in response to a viral video where he led revelers in chanting ‘Wantam’ (one term), which did not go down well with police chiefs. The musician is serving police officer. The incident, which took place a few days ago, saw Samidoh working up a crowd as they chanted “Wantam”, a corruption of the phrase “one term”. The slogan has become a rallying cry for political competitors, including allies of former Deputy…

At least three suspects were arrested as police demonstrated how Juja Member of Parliament George Koimburi staged his abduction in Kiambu. Police said he staged the abduction for political gains and to avoid arrest over a land fraud case he is facing. The MP is admitted to the hospital, where police said they believe he is enjoying a five-course meal to avoid being questioned and arrested over a land matter. “This was staged for political gains and to avoid being arrested over a land fraud matter that is under investigation,” said Director of DCI Mohamed Amin. Amin together with Inspector…

One of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ former employees testified the hip-hop mogul kidnapped her at gunpoint, then broke into rapper Kid Cudi’s home in a plot to kill his love rival. Capricorn Clark, who worked on and off for Mr Combs for more than a decade, told his trial that the defendant and a security guard had shown up to her apartment in 2011 and forced her to drive with them to Kid Cudi’s home. “Get dressed,” she recalled Mr Combs saying. “We’re going to go kill this [expletive].” She also told the court Diddy had threatened to kill her on…

US President Donald Trump says he’ll be issuing a pardon for a couple who starred in a reality TV show before being jailed in a multi-million dollar fraud and tax evasion case. Todd and Julie Chrisley were cast in the reality TV series Chrisley Knows Best, which followed the duo in their career as property tycoons in Nashville and Atlanta. But in June 2022 a jury found them guilty of tax evasion and defrauding banks out of more than $36m (£26.6m) in loans. Earlier this month the couple’s daughter, Savannah Chrisley, was interviewed by the president’s daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, on…

A second suspect has been arrested for allegedly kidnapping and torturing an Italian tourist in an upmarket Manhattan home for weeks to steal his cryptocurrency. William Duplessie, 32, turned himself in to authorities on Tuesday after his alleged accomplice was arrested last week. Their alleged victim told police he was hung off a roof ledge, shocked with electrical wires and attacked with a chainsaw as his attackers demanded he reveal his Bitcoin wallet password. Both suspects are charged with kidnapping with intent to collect ransom, assault, unlawful imprisonment and other crimes. The arrests came after the victim managed to escape…

After back-to-back explosions, SpaceX launched its mega rocket Starship again on Tuesday evening, but fell short of the main objectives when the spacecraft tumbled out of control and broke apart. The 403-foot (123-meter) rocket blasted off on its ninth demo from Starbase, SpaceX’s launch site at the southern tip of Texas. Residents voted this month to organize as an official city. CEO Elon Musk ‘s SpaceX hoped to release a series of mock satellites following liftoff, but that got nixed because the door failed to open all the way. Then the spacecraft began spinning as it skimmed space toward an…