Author: KahawaTungu Reporter

Oil marketing company Ola Energy announced it is laying off an undisclosed number of workers in its Kenyan outfit. This is as it restructures to boost profits and local market share over the next five years. Ola said on Wednesday that the current operating environment is challenging for it to sustain its current fixed costs. The oil marketer said that since 2024, it has initiated a “rescue action plan” for its Kenyan business to turn around the company’s trajectory, including increasing sales and reducing costs. The restructuring is part of these efforts, Ola said. “It is, therefore, with deep regrets…

A bloc of East African nations on Wednesday called for South Sudan’s government to release detained officials and lift security restrictions as part of efforts to prevent recent mounting factional tensions from erupting into renewed war. The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), a bloc of eight East African nations, held a virtual heads of state meeting on Wednesday aimed at heading off a crisis in South Sudan. “The government… is urged to forthwith release detained officials, unless credible evidence warrants legal proceedings conducted transparently and in accordance with due process,” a report presented by IGAD executive secretary Workneh Gebeyehu said.…

Atletico Madrid’s Julian Alvarez had a penalty dramatically ruled out in the shootout as Real Madrid edged out their city rivals to reach the quarter-finals. They will face Arsenal in the last eight, having kept alive their hopes of winning a record-extending 16th Champions League trophy. Neither side could find a winning goal before the end of extra time after Conor Gallagher’s strike – just 27 seconds into the game – had levelled the tie on aggregate after Real’s 2-1 first-leg win. That meant penalties were needed to determine the outcome and, after the first three had been converted, former…

Canada’s Prime Minister-designate Mark Carney has said he is ready to negotiate a renewed trade deal with President Donald Trump, as long as there is “respect for Canadian sovereignty”. Carney made these comments during a visit to a steel plant in Hamilton, Ontario, as Canada unveiled C$29.8 billion ($20.7 billion) in reciprocal tariffs on US imports. It comes after Trump slapped 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminium coming into the country. Since President Trump took office in January, the two countries have been involved in an escalating trade war, with the US president repeatedly threatening to annex its neighbour.…

Police are investigating the fatal shooting of a 71-year-old former mafia boss on a motorway near Grenoble in south-eastern France. Jean-Pierre Maldera, described by French media as a “godfather” of the local mafia in the 1980s, was reportedly chased in his car and shot as he travelled up the A41 motorway on Wednesday morning. The shooters fled the scene and the burnt-out remains of the stolen Renault Megane car they were driving was found in a Grenoble parking lot shortly after. His death comes ten years after the disappearance of his younger brother, Robert Maldera, another mafia boss reportedly nicknamed…

Arsenal completed a resounding 9-3 aggregate victory over PSV Eindhoven to set up a mouthwatering Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid. Holders Real beat capital rivals Atletico Madrid on penalties – and Arsenal will likely have to find top gear against the Spanish giants in the last eight after cruising past their Dutch opponents. Leading 7-1 from the first leg in the Netherlands, the Gunners took the opportunity to make wholesale changes to their starting XI. While there were also huge swathes of empty seats around a subdued Emirates Stadium, those in attendance were treated to a sumptuous opening goal…

Public Service Cabinet Secretary (CS) Justin Muturi explained his recent absences from Cabinet meetings. He said that he requested to be excused from the meetings until the issues of police abductions and extrajudicial killings were on the agenda. Muturi has missed three Cabinet meetings over the past three months, failing to attend sittings on January 21, February 11 and March 11, 2025, sparking rumors of a possible fallout between him and President William Ruto. Speaking on Citizen TV’s JKLive Show on Wednesday, Muturi clarified that while attendance at Cabinet meetings is mandatory, he had sought permission from President William Ruto…

Public Service Cabinet Secretary Justin Muturi dismissed calls by a section of government leaders asking him to step down. This is despite what seems to be outright fallout with his boss president William Ruto. Muturi, while speaking during Citizen TV’s JKLive show on Wednesday, allayed concerns surrounding speculations of his looming resignation. He said there are no sufficient grounds for him to quit office. He exuded confidence in his position in the Cabinet, rubbishing allegations of insubordination owing to his recent remarks. According to Muturi, the move to call out the President and the government over the abductions and killings of…

It is regrettable that the Shakahola tragedy in which hundreds of lives were lost took long to be noticed, Internal Security and National Administration Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo has said. Dr Omollo said nobody could imagine that a tragedy of that magnitude could happen in the country. He said it was unfortunate that the tragedy happened in the context of religion with criminal elements exploiting vulnerabilities that exist in the society people for their selfish ends. Describing the tragedy as “shocking”, Dr Omollo said most of those affected, were innocent people who were practicing their faith and seeking connection with…

The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) urged a Nairobi Anti-Corruption Court to find former Busia Governor Sospeter Ojaamong guilty of graft charges and impose appropriate penalties. In his final submissions filed Wednesday, March 12, 2025, the DPP argued that he had proven the case against Ojaamong and his eight co-accused beyond reasonable doubt on all counts. The DPP also requested the court to issue an order under Section 48 of the Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes Act (ACECA), barring all the accused persons from being elected or appointed as public officers for the next ten years. Ojaamong was charged alongside the…

The Kenya Electricity Generating Company PLC (KenGen) announced a transformative partnership with the World Rally Championship (WRC) Safari Rally 2025, positioning Kenya as a global leader in sustainable energy integration within high-performance sports. Officials termed this a landmark collaboration between energy and motorsport industry. Speaking at the unveiling of the partnership, KenGen’s Managing Director and CEO, Peter Njenga, underscored the significance of the alliance, describing it as a bold step toward a cleaner, more energy-efficient future. “Our partnership with WRC Safari Rally 2025 is more than a collaboration; it is a powerful statement of intent,” Njenga said. “It exemplifies how…

Alego Usonga MP Samuel Atandi has been elected as the new chairperson of the Budget and Appropriations Committee of the National Assembly, succeeding Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro in a wave of leadership changes. Atandi will be deputized by Dr. Robert Pukose following a hotly contested but decisive election. Butere MP Tindi Mwale was re-elected as National Assembly Public Accounts Committee chairperson and will be deputised by Garissa Woman Rep Amina Udgoon. Atandi expressed gratitude to the broad-based government and his party leader, Raila Odinga, for their unwavering support. He acknowledged the challenges ahead, noting that the committee takes office at…

A pastor from Gatundu South in Kiambu County was released on a Sh2 million bond with a similar surety after pleading not guilty to murder charges. Patrick Kagunda Karanja, appeared before High Court Judge Justice Florence Muchemi and was accused of murdering Francis Gichini on February 3, 2025, in the Gatundu South Sub-county. He denied the charges. His defense team led by Ndegwa Njiru, successfully argued for favorable bond terms, claiming that Kagunda had been detained without charge for an extended period of time. The defense argued as a pastor with a wife and child, the accused is not a…

Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja’s subsidized school meal initiative received a huge boost following President William Ruto’s pronouncement to procure a chapati-making machine. Speaking during the second day of his high-impact development tour in Mathare, the head of state asked Sakaja to implore avenues to procure the machine, where he committed to buy. “The governor has asked me that in order to add chapati to Nairobi’s dish, I should buy a chapati-making machine. I have agreed to buy the machine for him. Now, Governor, find a place to buy a chapati-making machine that makes one million chapatis,” said Ruto. The governor…

A memorial service was Tuesday held in honor of slain Kenyan cop Samuel Tompoi Kaetuai at a church in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. This came as an autopsy on the body of Kaetuai showed he died out of a single shot to his head. The autopsy was conducted at the Chiromo mortuary in Nairobi on Tuesday afternoon. His family was present. Kaetuai was killed on February 23 in Port-au-Prince in a clash with gangs. In Haiti, Father Wilder Jean-Baptiste, the parish priest of Saint Jerome Parish in Petite Rivière de l’Artibonite (Diocese of Gonaïves), presided over a memorial mass in honor of…