Author: KahawaTungu Reporter

The Trump administration has unveiled its plan to impose port fees on Chinese ships as it tries to revive shipbuilding in the US and challenge China’s dominance of the industry. The US Trade Representative’s (USTR) announcement is less severe than a plan floated in February to hit Chinese vessels with fees of up to $1.5m (£1.1m) for each American port they visited. It said the fees would start to be charged in 180 days time and would rise in the coming years. There have been concerns that the measures would further disrupt global trade amid US President Donald Trump’s tariff…

Donald Trump and Giorgia Meloni talked up the chances of a trade deal between the US and Europe, as the Italian prime minister visited Washington. “There will be a trade deal, 100%,” Trump said, “but it will be a fair deal”, while Meloni said she was “sure” they could reach an agreement, later adding that her aim was to “make the West great again”. Meloni is the first European leader to visit Washington since Trump imposed, then paused, 20% tariffs on imports from the bloc. The US president separately said on Thursday that he is confident of making “a very…

Detectives from the Homicide Directorate arrested a suspected serial killer linked to the harrowing murders of two young women in Thika, Kiambu County. The detectives said Samuel King’ara Kimani is linked to the murder of the two women. The first case unfolded on March 17, 2025, when 22-year-old Rosemary Njeri Ndekei vanished minutes after heading to Thika town to shop for clothes. Her disappearance sparked concern, leading to a missing person report being filed at Thika Police Station by her boyfriend and relatives. Tragically, on March 18, 2025, members of the public discovered the lifeless body of a young woman…

President William Ruto Thursday advised new Cabinet Secretaries and Principal Secretaries to focus on service delivery to Kenyans and not the sideshows that usually come with high office. Ruto urged them to concentrate on delivering on the mandate in their respective ministries and State departments and not to be swayed by any distractions. He presided over the swearing in ceremony of two CSs and 14 PSs at State House, Nairobi, on Thursday. “There is too much noise out there, but you must keep your eye on the ball. Do not be distracted.” The new Cabinet Secretaries are Geoffrey Ruku (Public…

American tennis great Serena Williams said she would have been banned for 20 years and stripped of her Grand Slam titles had she failed drug tests like men’s world No. 1 Jannik Sinner did last year. Sinner accepted a three-month ban in February following an agreement with the World Anti-Doping Agency, which had challenged an independent tribunal’s decision to clear him of wrongdoing after two positive tests for the anabolic agent clostebol. “I love the guy, love this game,” Williams, the 23-time Grand Slam winner, told Time magazine after being named as part of the Time100 list of most influential…

President Donald Trump on Thursday ratcheted up his criticism against Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, calling for his termination one day after the central bank chief delivered a stark warning about the effect of Trump’s sweeping tariffs on the economy. Trump on Thursday morning lashed out at the Fed leader in a social media post for not cutting interest rates, saying the central bank is lagging behind its European counterpart. “Jerome Powell of the Fed, who is always TOO LATE AND WRONG, yesterday issued a report which was another, and typical, complete ‘mess!’ Trump wrote. “Powell’s termination cannot come fast…

President William Ruto on Thursday referred the Conflict of Interest Bill 2025 back to Parliament for reconsideration. In his commitment to tackling corruption, accountable leadership and integrity in public service, the President has been urging Parliament to pass the Conflict of Interest Bill without delay. He, however, made it clear that he would veto any version of the Bill that failed to set a high standard for accountability, integrity, and anti-corruption measures. While the Bill as presented largely addresses the subject of conflict of interest, Ruto has noted the need for further improvements to strengthen its provisions on transparency and…

Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale directed the immediate suspension of all kidney transplant services at Mediheal Group of Hospitals until further notice. This follows serious allegations of malpractice and ethical violations related to transplant procedures at Mediheal Hospital – Eldoret, as outlined in the Ministry’s earlier press release dated Tuesday, April 15, 2025. Duale emphasized the Ministry’s commitment to protecting patient safety and restoring public trust in Kenya’s healthcare system. To address the matter comprehensively, the CS announced the appointment of an Independent Expert Committee to undertake a full audit of kidney transplant services across all Mediheal facilities over the…

The National Assembly Committee on Administration and Internal Security has urged the National Police Service (NPS) and the National Police Service Commission (NPSC) to consider upgrading the newly constructed National Police Service Level Four Hospital to a Level Five facility. During an inspection tour of the hospital, the Committee held engagements with the Deputy Inspector General of the Kenya Police Service, Eliud Lagat, Chief Executive Officer of the National Police Service Commission, Peter Leley, representatives from the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Health, as well as hospital staff. In a briefing to the Committee, Opil, the officer in…

A police officer attached to the DCI Starehe was arrested after two women were linked to a pistol whose picture had been posted in their WhatsApp status in Nyando, Kisumu county Police said after their arrests, the women claimed the Canik pistol belonged to the officer who was at work then. One of the women had posted a photo of the pistol on her WhatsApp status to boast saying none can touch her. Detectives from the Crime Research and Intelligence Bureau, Nyanza Region, in collaboration with their DCI counterparts from Nyando swung into action and arrested Sharon Auma and Nancy…

Former Standard Group journalist Ochieng Ogodo is dead. His family and colleagues said he died on Thursday April 17 morning as he was being rushed to the hospital in Umoja area, Nairobi. Kenya Editors Guild announced the death. KEG CEO Rosalia Omungo said Ochieng had been feeling slightly unwell in recent days, attributing it to a mild flu. She said on Wednesday evening, Ogodo was in good spirits and even followed the Arsenal vs Real Madrid match, sharing his thoughts actively on Facebook. At around 2am, while resting at home, he experienced sudden and severe chest pain. He immediately alerted…

Mombasa County has the highest number of criminal gangs, a survey has shown. A survey by the National Crime Research Centre indicates that there were 309 criminal gangs, distributed across counties in varying terms of membership growth, spread, resilience, and reputation as the most dreaded. The distribution of the number of known criminal gangs across the survey counties was Mombasa (73), Nairobi (56), Kilifi (47), Garissa (31), Kwale (29), Busia (29), Bungoma (28), Machakos (28), Nakuru (27), Kisumu (22), and Kiambu (20). The distribution of the number of criminal gangs that were believed to have rapidly grown in terms of…

A 39-year-old man died after a snake bite on his farm in Kapsang area, Keiyo South, Elgeyo Marakwet County. According to police, Mark Kibiwott was clearing a bush on his property on Tuesday, April 15, when a snake bit him. He raised an alarm and was rushed to Kapsang dispensary before being referred to Kabarnet County Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Officials said the snake poison had attacked nerves by the time he was taken to the hospital. Locals joined in efforts to trace the killer snake in vain. The body was moved to the mortuary pending autopsy and…

A Tesla whistleblower who has fought Elon Musk and his company through the courts for years has won the latest round of a long-running legal battle. Engineer Cristina Balan lost her job after she raised a safety concern in 2014 about a design flaw which could affect the cars’ braking. Her defamation claim against the firm seemed to have run out of road when a judge confirmed an arbitration decision dismissing her case – but a panel of appeal judges in California has reversed this decision in her favour. She told BBC News she now wants to face Elon Musk…

YouTuber MrBeast has issued an apology after his ‘MrBeast Experience’ at a Las Vegas resort did not live up to the billing. MrBeast, with more than 385 million subscribers, said the event “definitely isn’t the experience we hoped they’d deliver” and promised to make it up by inviting everyone affected to his studio. The event at Resorts World Las Vegas was advertised as an “immersive” and “unforgettable” experience that included exclusive games, a MrBeast-themed menu and mystery bags thought to contain limited edition merch, including one with a $10,000 (£7,550) gift voucher. Those who attended the three-day event complained they…